A Window to An Other World
by Daimeryan Rei
Summary: A successful lawyer, Heero Yuy gets involved in a rather disturbing case of dark entities attacking people and property connected to businessman Quatre Winner. Heero gets help from spirit hunters Duo Maxwell and Chang Wufei, as something big is brewing in the demon world … will he bring the case to a good end, as he's falling head over heels for one particular spirit hunter?
1. Chapter 1

Title: A Window to An Other World

Fandom: Gundam Wing  
Pairings: to be established Heero x Duo

Genre: supernatural (no vampires), action  
Warnings: foul language, shounen ai, some graphic violence

Summary: A successful lawyer, Heero Yuy gets involved in a rather disturbing case of dark entities attacking people and property connected to businessman Quatre Winner. Heero gets help from spirit hunters Duo Maxwell and Chang Wufei, as there are signs that something big is brewing in the demon world … will he be able to bring the case to a good end, as he's falling head over heels for one of the spirit hunters?

Author's note: Written for Sharon's 'Today, Tomorrow and Always' fanfiction contest. Betaed by Apollymi. Every mistake left is mine to make. Feedback is a nice thing.

* * *

"Are you ready to order, sir?"

"Yes. I'll have the teriyaki chicken, please."

"I like the seafood salad. Please serve the dressing separately." Relena Peacecraft's voice was polite, yet contained a natural hint of authority to it. She handed the menu back to the waitress, who took it from her with a "Certainly, Mrs. Peacecraft". The girl was dismissed from Relena's mind the very next second, as she folded her hands together and warmly smiled at the young man sitting opposite of her.

"Congratulations, Heero," she said. "To one year, and many more years to come."

He raised his glass. "Thank you, Relena. I really appreciate your invitation."

"You've worked so hard. I think you're the only person in the world to make partner in such a short amount of time. Father is really pleased to have you on board."

Heero nodded. It had taken him blood, sweat and tears, but it had all paid off. Being the youngest partner ever at Darlian, Peacecraft, Merquise and Yuy was a great achievement. The last name, his surname, had recently been added to the golden plaque at the entrance of the prestigious lawyers' office. Relena's father had started the business over thirty years ago and it was renowned for its involvement with the socially weak, helping those who couldn't afford legal assistance, and its great commitment to charity and socio-environmental ethics.

"So, how are things at home?" Heero inquired politely.

Relena unfolded her napkin. "Busy, as usual," she said. "Mark wants to run for mayor this year, and he's campaigning for support from his party and followers."

"The United Earth Alliance Party, right?"

She looked a little strained. "Yes, that's the one. His ambitions for the party run extremely high." Relena dropped her voice. "He has my full support of course, but if he becomes mayor, I have to be his dolled up mayor's wife, standing next to her husband with a vapid smile." A frown marred her face. "It has taken me so much effort to be seen independently from my father and to build up my own career. I don't want to be put on the backburner."

Heero nodded. He knew what she was talking about. The Peacecraft name held great standing in the world of law and justice. Relena was raised and spoon-fed with politics, law, ethics, and culture. Every family member held a top position in their respective field. One would assume that every door in the world would immediately open for a Peacecraft; instead she had had to fight twice as hard as to show what she was worth on her own. Relena wasn't deterred by her difficult path - she was headstrong and determined and preferred achieving her goals on her own. However, many people kept thinking that she had gained everything by just using her name.

"We'll see." Relena shrugged as the waitress returned with their orders. "Oh, I love shrimp! They certainly don't hold back on those."

Heero chuckled. "Let me guess, low calories and all that?"

"If I am to be a mayor's wife, I have to watch my figure closely if I want to fit in my Armani dress," Relena said, a little sourly. Heero inhaled the scent of his lovely chicken teriyaki dish.

"I'm sure it'll work out," he tried to lift her spirits. "They say that Quatre Winner is running for mayor too."

"That rumor goes around every year." Relena helped herself to some dressing. "He'd get my vote, though."

Quatre Raberba Winner, founder and CEO of Winner Enterprise Industries, a cornerstone of modern society, was so influential that he could make or break anyone in his path. A lot of gossip and rumors surrounded his person. The man was tough in business but kind and gentle to people around him; he didn't fit the clichéd example of a harsh CEO who was only thinking about dollars, not about the people working for him.

"He has the money and the people for a campaign," Relena continued. "I'm sure half the city would be ecstatic to vote for him."

"I guess Winner Enterprises takes more than enough of his time," Heero answered.

"Yes, you're right. Ah, what is it with men and their thirst for power?" She smiled. "Mark certainly has big ambitions."

"You have a good, honest husband." Heero had met Mark Wilkinson a few times, enough to get a thorough impression of the man. Focused and ambitious, but not arrogant. "You wish you married a docile, spineless wimp?"

"Please, absolutely not!" Relena protested. "I wanted a real man, not one who was intimidated by my job and _my_ ambitions. I'm not here to fetch anyone's slippers; I'm here to take the entire cake for myself! Besides, speaking of cake - you want dessert?"

* * *

After lunch, they leisurely walked back to the office and took the elevator upstairs. Heero bid goodbye to Relena and went to his office. As soon as he rounded the corner, his secretary, Harriet Mulloon, rose from her chair. He frowned. Harriet was the standard calm and composed secretary, always keeping her files in perfect order, doing her paperwork with a pristine routine, and she had the uncanny ability to think twice the steps ahead of Heero himself when it came to his schedule. Now, she looked agitated. An agitated Harriet meant impending doom.

"What is it, Harriet?" he asked.

"I have a very important callback note for you," she said, looking at him over the rim of her glasses. Her hand trembled slightly as she handed the note to him. Who could get her so anxious? She worked for the company since the day Peacecraft Sr. had founded it!

Heero brimmed with curiosity as he read the note. _Call back T. Barton_. Speak of the devil! Heero didn't realize he was holding his breath. There was only one T. Barton important enough to drop everything and obey immediately. Trowa Barton: personal assistant, spokesperson and right hand to Quatre Winner himself. Why would he call this law firm in particular?

Silently, Heero closed the door and sat down at his desk. It was a prominent piece of furniture in his sparsely decorated office, housing a comfortable reception area for his clients (two seats, a small sofa and a coffee table), and a few file cabinets. Every employee was allowed to bring his or her personal touch to their office; Relena had lots of plants and her stepbrother, Zechs Merquise, a suit of armor as he was an avid collector of historical weaponry. The obligatory family pictures were nowhere to be found in Heero's personal space. He didn't have any. He grew up as an only child with his adoptive father, and after a car accident, Heero was left alone. He knew his colleagues took pity on him, thinking that he was lonely and that he worked so hard as to fill up the missing parts in his life: no family, no partner, no children… Why would he bother to explain that no, he wasn't feeling lonely and yes, he liked to work hard and achieve his goals, and that he was happy as he could be? It wasn't his job to correct people's view of him, and he left it just at that.

Heero stared at the note, flipping it between his fingers. He shouldn't be dawdling. Punching in the numbers, Heero only had to wait until the first ring. Before he could say his name, a male voice greeted him.

"I expected your call, Mister Yuy. It is of immediate importance that Mister Winner sees you. We will arrive at your office in fifty minutes. Please have the records on the Schbeiker vs. Winner case ready."

A click told Heero that Barton was done talking. He was flabbergasted. _Winner_ was going to visit _him_, right here at his office, right now, in fifty minutes? And he wanted... what?

Heero's sharp mind had no trouble recalling the case Barton had referred to. Hilde Schbeiker had bought a house from Winner Enterprise Industries' building division and had filed a suit against the company because the house had been haunted. She had hired Heero to defend her, and she had brought along a professional exorcist who had cleansed the house for her.

Heero didn't even need to rack his brain. Duo Maxwell. Who could forget anyone like him? Clad in black, with a huge golden lion crest on his chest, and chestnut hair tied in a long braid. An open, warm face with large eyes and a smile that could make a Christmas tree look bleak in comparison.

Heero had met him twice, briefly: once at the house, before he performed the cleansing ritual, and once in court, where he testified about the dark 'residue' he had encountered and removed. Apparently the jury was sensitive to either his charm or believed in ghosts themselves, as Hilde was allowed a nice settlement. The house went back to Winner, along with a small scandal about disrespecting otherworldly creatures in his building policies, but that fizzled out almost immediately. As far as Heero knew, the house sold once again, and nobody mentioned anything dark or demonic about it again.

"Harriet, Schbeiker vs. Winner, please," he said out loud. She returned within five minutes, holding the file. Winner hadn't bothered to show up at the court meeting, and his corporate lawyers had treated Hilde like an alien herself. It didn't take long for the jury to award the settlement, and the lawyers had left in a huff.

"Here you are. Anything else?"

"Barton and Winner will be here in fifty minutes."

Harriet looked incredulous. "Mister Winner? Here? In person?"

"Yes, and it has to do something with this case." Heero's mind worked at top speed, going over the case and scrutinizing his actions. Had he made a mistake, had he filed something wrong, was Winner out to get him? Or worse, was he intending to file a huge claim and ruin Darlian, Peacecraft, Merquise and Yuy?

"I'll make sure there's coffee and tea," Harriet was talking, and he barely heard her.

He mumbled a "Yes, sure" as he leafed through the paperwork. She let him be, as he quickly read through the file, taking in the details, preparing himself for the upcoming visit. After only forty minutes, Harriet knocked on his door again.

"Mister Winner and Mister Barton to see you," she announced. Heero stood up from his chair, schooling his face in a neutral expression.

Trowa Barton was a tall man, his height emphasized by the dark gray trench coat he was wearing. The brand was unknown to Heero, but he could see it was at least two months of hefty paychecks worth. The matching suit was impeccable, screaming quality and exclusivity. Barton's hair was dark brown, short in the back and long in the front, covering up one of his eyes. Slightly eccentric, but it suited him; it gave him an enigmatic appearance.

Quatre Winner wasn't as tall, but the aura of authority around him was unmistakable. He didn't radiate brute dominance but strong willpower, a man used to getting his way, exactly the way he wanted it. It would be a mistake to underestimate him: with his light blond hair and a warm smile on his face, he looked more like a casual employee than the mighty corporate executive he was. Winner wasn't dressed in a business suit, stressing his casual appearance.

"Quatre Raberba Winner," he introduced himself, extending his hand. "And my business associate, Trowa Barton."

"Heero Yuy. Please, have a seat." He waited until everyone was settled and until Harriet had served coffee and tea. Curiously, Heero looked at both Winner and Barton.

"Thank you for receiving us on such short notice," Quatre said, a smile accompanying his words. He nursed a cup of tea, inhaling the scent of Lapsang Souchong. Heero was more of a coffee person, just like Barton; both men didn't add any sugar or milk.

"I know you from the Schbeiker case, of course," he continued as he sipped his tea, every movement calm and composed. "You did great work. Thorough, detailed. Better work than my own lawyers."

"Who have been fired," Trowa supplied. Heero could barely keep his curiosity in check. Were they here to offer him a job?

"The fact is, the subject matter is rather strange." Quatre stared at his teacup, as if he was embarrassed. "Ms. Schbeiker claimed that the property she bought was haunted, and you brought in a third party to…ah, verify it."

"The third party was brought in by Ms. Schbeiker herself," Heero corrected him. "Duo Maxwell, a friend of hers. He calls himself a spirit hunter… what we would call an exorcist, I guess."

"Ah yes, him," Quatre said.

"I had his credentials checked, as to avoid any conflict of interest. As far as I was able to check it, of course… but I managed to find witnesses and victims of poltergeists, ghost attacks and other supernatural events, with documented material…"

"Documented how?" Trowa snorted.

"Trowa, please," Quatre said. Somehow it didn't come as a surprise to Heero that Quatre called his business associate by his first name.

"Mister Winner, if you want to read the Schbeiker file, you'll have to subpoena it."

"I know, and it won't be necessary." Quatre sipped some more tea. "Mister Yuy, due to my position, I have the power to make a difference. I'm well aware of my privileges, and I have a strong social commitment to society. That's why I build homes for people with an average to low income, so they're able to afford a quality home for a reasonable price, no shark loans, no huge interests."

Heero nodded. This was nothing new, so far.

"Ms. Schbeiker was one of the millions of people who bought a Winner home and came to love it," Quatre said. "And up until now, she was the only one to complain about… ah, certain activities."

"The poltergeist, or whatever it was." Heero leafed through the papers in the file. "According to Mister Maxwell, it was a _gwynnfyr_," he read out aloud.

Trowa snorted again. "I didn't know ghosts had their own classification system."

"I'm glad you cut to the chase. That's why I'm here, Mister Yuy." Quatre ignored the comment of his associate. He put his empty cup on the coffee table and folded his fingers. "My building corporation has received quite a lot of complaints as of late. At first, I thought it was something out of a bad movie, people pulling weird and unfunny pranks."

"Like..?"

"A gravestone in a backyard. Chairs stacked together like a pyramid. Electricity turning on and off, sprinklers turning on and off. Harmless at first, but then the other complaints came. People are feeling tired, exhausted. A disturbing increase in violence and irrational behavior. Strange noises, inexplicable destruction of property, reports on apparitions…"

"And you think there might be any connection to Ms. Schbeiker?" Heero asked. Quatre shook his head.

"I don't think so. It's been eight months, and the activities haven't started until a month ago."

Trowa looked a little annoyed, his lips tugging the corners of his mouth down. "Many people think there's more at work than pranksters or vandals. They're getting scared."

A silence fell.

"We want this to be handled discreetly," Trowa spoke again. "And you are the only one who worked seriously and professionally on a case concerning a woman who thought her house was haunted. You worked with a professional exorcist without laughing your head off or immediately dismissing any notion of the existence of ghosts."

"I'm not asking you to believe in ghosts, Mister Yuy," Quatre said, "I'm asking you to get to the bottom of this."

"I'm not a ghost hunter," Heero gave back.

"I suggest you to start with that Maxwell person," Trowa continued as if Heero hadn't spoken at all, "and try to find out if he isn't creating a new 'work area' for himself or if someone is plotting against Winner Enterprise Industries or against Mister Winner himself. It wouldn't be the first time."

"You will be paid for all your troubles, of course," Winner took it from his associate seamlessly, and he named a figure that had Heero's head spinning. "On top of that, all your expenses will be paid. Trowa will give you the paperwork and he will take care of all the financial needs."

"I…" Heero was overwhelmed. "I'm a lawyer, not an investigator."

"Well, now you're a lawyer working ad-hoc for Winner Industries," Trowa said. "You're hired to get to the bottom of this and make sure that no ghosts will ever haunt the company again."

* * *

The next morning, Harriet handed him a thick envelope, brought by an express courier. Heero was impressed at Trowa's diligent work; he had included copies of all the incidents: written reports, witness statements, pictures and information on the houses and properties involved, all claimed to be haunted.

He whistled. No wonder Trowa had insisted on discretion. The majority of the upscale houses were bought by people who had a prolific position in society. Tabloids would have a field day if they found out about any of them being involved with 'supernatural activity'. Treize Khushrenada for example, the playboy with a four bedroom, three bathroom villa with a fitness room, sauna and swimming pool. Or Duke Dermail or Marshall Noventa, both decorated war heroes, with their luxury penthouses with a rooftop garden and built-in sauna and other wellness facilities. People would mock them for believing their house was haunted.

Heero carefully read the files. A lot of complaints had disappeared after either a visit from Duo Maxwell or from a Chang Wufei. Heero didn't recognize the name and jotted it down on a piece of paper. Apparently there were two professional exorcists in town. Were they helping each other a hand or battling each other on their newfound turf?

And why would Winner's property be the target? A man with a position like Quatre Winner could be the target of extortion, kidnapping or blackmail…but why supernatural activity?

When he finished reading, it was time for lunch. Before going out the door, Heero dialed Duo Maxwell's number first. He left a message on the voicemail and called Chang Wufei next. He also left a message and went to his favorite restaurant to get something to eat.

Neither of the exorcists had returned the call when Heero got back from lunch, and Harriet, sturdy as ever, handed him more mail and paperwork. He told her to connect the calls from both Maxwell and Chang anytime and spent the rest of the day focusing on his other cases and preparing for a court meeting two days from now. His phone rang.

"Mister Maxwell," Harriet announced him.

"Thank you for returning the call, Mister Maxwell," Heero said.

"I don't get called by lawyers often," a warm voice rang into his ear, "unless it's to mock me about my work or call me an idiot for causing them to lose their case. But you won, so you must have a good reason to call me."

"Excellent memory," Heero blurted out. He was treated to a chuckle. He felt like an idiot.

"What can I do for you, Mister Yuy?"

"I would like to see you at my office."

"Like a date? I hardly know you!"

"No, no, not like that." Heero was both annoyed and embarrassed. He thought he heard Duo mumble "too bad" but he quickly continued, "I would like to talk to you about your activities, concerning Winner's property."

"Winner, hm? The _gwynnfyr_. Did it return?"

"No," Heero said. "I'm sorry, but I can't discuss details on the phone with you. I really prefer you to come into my office, so we…"

"I really don't like lawyer offices," Duo's voice sounded a bit harsh, "but you can come over to my place."

"Your place?" Heero was dumbfounded. It wasn't really appropriate to meet a client at his own home. On the other hand, Duo Maxwell wasn't a client. He was a part of his research, and Heero could easily write up the extra hours. Winner was footing the bill anyway.

"Fine," he agreed, "what's your address?"

"Elm Street," Duo said, and Heero wrote it down until he got the cheesy joke. "Sorry, force of habit," Duo said, his voice still warm, and Heero wasn't sure if the other was just teasing him or laughing at him. He gave Heero his real address and hung up soon after.


	2. Chapter 2

New Port City, the capital of the Sanq Kingdom, had at least 100,000 denizens, many in need of a dwelling of their own. With several suburbs, there was something for the young and hip, for the fixer-uppers, and for the social, as well as for the filthy rich; the city offered more than enough choice of accommodation.

Duo Maxwell's apartment building was located in a 'transition area', as most people like to call it: smallish, fairly cheap apartments for starters in the housing market, where they could move on after their financial position improved or if there was an addition to the family.

The maintenance had been a little neglected but not completely ignored, and the plants serving as decoration looked well kept. The elevator was a little messy, with bubblegum wrappers on the floor and a broken mirror. He had no difficulty locating Duo's apartment and knocked on the door. It opened, just a crack. Heero frowned. It was dark inside. Why wasn't the door opened any further?

"Hello? Mister Maxwell?"

The door moved open a little wider, revealing nothing but darkness. Great. Maxwell's apartment was probably a dark, gothic cave filled with bats or something. He flung the door wider open and stepped inside, not about to get scared by a little darkness. However, Heero wasn't prepared for two bright red eyes flashing at him, followed by a large mouth filled with razor sharp teeth, lunging for his throat. With a startled cry, Heero backed up against the door, dropping his suitcase.

"Shini! Stop! That's not very nice!"

A deep, rumbling grunt next to Heero's ear made him shiver. With his eyes not adjusted to the dark yet, he had difficulties making out what was so close to him - until the hall light was switched on, revealing…. a strange kind of bird, a heavy turkey or something, flapping its wings into his face, staring at him with those angry red eyes. Heero took a few steps away from it. "What the hell is _that_?"

"This is Shinigami," Duo Maxwell said, leaning against the doorpost. The over-sized turkey flapped its way to him and perched itself on Duo's right shoulder. "He's a dragoyle. Quite friendly, once you get to know him. He loves to play pranks though. I'm sorry if he scared you."

Duo's voice didn't indicate he was really sorry, but Heero let it go. He was too busy gaping at Shinigami, his mind unable to process what his eyes were seeing.

"A… a dragoyle? You must mean gargoyle."

"No no, a dragoyle. He's a mixed breed of a dragon and a gargoyle."

Heero looked incredulous. Now he noticed the blunt, large snout like a dragon, but the pointed, leathery wings looked similar to those of a gargoyle. A short, scaly tail completed the creature; he swished it back and forth while sitting firmly on Duo's shoulder, without extending its claws.

"You apologize to Mister Yuy right now, Shini." Duo's lips were perched in a disapproving frown. "It's not nice to scare people."

The creature huffed and then swooped down to pick up Heero's suitcase. He hovered in front of Heero, the suitcase dangling, and its large nostrils opened and closed for another huff. Dumbfounded, Heero took the object from the dragoyle.

"Err… thank you."

"Come on in," Duo said, making an inviting gesture with his hand. Shinigami flapped around and perched himself on Duo's right shoulder again. The spirit hunter was clad in a comfortable, light grey pair of sweatpants and a tomato red shirt, that said 'Kiss me, why don't you?' His long braid was neatly tied off with a similar tomato red tie, and swung behind his back with every move he made.

"I'm sorry, I was busy making dinner. I know it's late, but I don't follow a regular working schedule. I need a good meal before I get to work."

"I see," Heero said. The delicious smells wafting from the kitchen reminded him of his own quick dinner, consisting of a cup of instant noodles. His stomach was growling, and he almost started salivating. Duo went into the kitchen, calling out to him, "I always cook way too much food. Would you like some? There's more than enough!"

Heero found himself answering "Yes please" before he could restrain himself. Shinigami flew back and forth from the kitchen as if it wanted to keep an eye on Heero.

Curiously, he peeked into the kitchen. It was fairly small and jam-packed with a huge cabinet filled with a myriad of dishes, cups, cutlery, terrines, and bowls; a table with a colorful block-patterned tablecloth and two chairs. Pots and pans hung on the wall, along with a large rack with kitchen utensils. Duo moved around the clutter with ease, taking two plates from the large cabinet and putting food on it.

"I don't have a dining room," he apologized, "so take your plate and let's go to the living room, all right?"

Heero didn't protest. He took his plate and followed Duo to the living room. He was taken aback by the colorful furniture and large, plush cushions on the sofa. A stack of magazines was on the oak coffee table, and the art on the walls showed a cartoon-ish influence, with bright colors and funny subjects.

Duo saw Heero look around, and smiled as he teased him, "What? Were you really expecting black furniture, dark walls, skulls and candles, and a pot brewing with a mysterious potion?"

"I'm sorry," Heero said.

"Don't be. You're not the only one." Duo shrugged and put his plate on the large coffee table. He also carried a bowl and put it on the floor, next to the colorful rug. Shinigami swooped down to start eating. Heero couldn't help but to look at the gobbling creature.

"Don't worry, he's not eating zombie meat." Duo laughed, showing nice, white teeth. "He loves chicken. I usually give him the leftovers. He's the ideal trash can, except for fish. He really hates fish."

Heero sat opposite of Duo and waited for the other to hand him a large napkin and utensils. His plate was filled with pork chops, vegetables, potatoes, and gravy.

"Dig in," Duo said. Heero didn't hesitate. A cup of instant noodles was not enough nutrition, and Duo's food was tasty and plentiful. He complimented him.

"I'm not really a good cook," Duo answered modestly, but he had a warm glow on his face, obviously pleased with the compliment. "But it's also a little distraction, you know?"

Heero nodded, but actually he didn't know. To him, cooking was equal to put stuff into the microwave and nuke it until it was hot and ready to serve.

"You said you need a good meal before going to work," Heero continued the conversation. "What do you exactly mean?"

"Dark entities prey upon energy," Duo answered, digging into his mountain of potatoes. "Both physically and mentally. If you face them feeling feeble or weak, you can kiss your ass goodbye. Eating a good meal gives you more than enough energy to withstand them."

"I see." Heero was surprised by Duo's honesty. He hadn't expected the other to talk so freely about his 'work'; most people would think of a self-called spirit hunter as crazy, or weird, or worse…

They continued to eat in a pleasant silence until both their plates were finished. Duo cleared the table and returned with coffee, black for Heero and loaded with sugar and milk for himself. When he noticed Heero cringing at the concoction, Duo winked.

"Hey, I'm an American, I live off of sugar and cream." He reclined on the sofa and propped up his legs. Shinigami nestled himself next to him, like a puppy lying next to his master. A scaly, scary, red-eyed puppy... "So, what's this all about Winner's property?"

"A lot of complaints, as of late." Heero tapped on his suitcase. "I have reports and testimonies of people harassed by entities, property desecrated and vandalized, strange apparitions… You name it, it's in here."

"Strange." Duo frowned. He cradled the cup of coffee between his hands, occasionally blowing at the hot liquid. "When I cleansed Hilde's house, I didn't feel anything else but the presence of the _gwynnfyr_."

"What do you mean?"

"Like I said, I didn't feel anything else. A dark entity is seldom alone, and a _gwynnfyr _likes to… raid in large packs. Especially when an entire building feels wrong, because of the location or the used materials."

"You mean, like Ghostbusters or the Poltergeist?"

"Exactly like the Poltergeist." Duo's voice dropped to an unfriendly, icy cold tone. "Do you really think it was just a Hollywood movie about a house on an ancient burial ground? It'd piss you off in the living world. How do you think it'd piss of the dead, when their rest is disturbed, their honor violated and treated like crap? You build and build, you destroy and you desecrate, and then you need guys like me to get things smoothed out."

"Guys like you," Heero repeated. "What _are _you?"

"I'm a spirit hunter," Duo answered. "I hunt and take care of dark entities and malevolent spirits in the sleeping world."

"Sleeping world?" Heero parroted.

"There are many worlds out there, not just this world, Earth, as you know it. There are also more words to describe them." Duo sipped his coffee. "The waking world for our current world, the planet we walk upon, Earth. Then you have the sleeping world, or demon world… the otherworld, whatever you'd like to call them. Those are the worlds for everything that doesn't belong here."

"I just want to know why and how it's possible that Winner's properties are… ah, under attack."

"I don't know. Like I said, I only felt one presence in Hilde's house. When I cleansed it, there was no residue left. What are the people complaining about exactly?"

Heero grabbed his suitcase, well aware that Shinigami was following his every movement. He opened the suitcase and rummaged through the files. "Electricity switched on and off, chairs stacked together, the yard completely ruined, clean dishes getting dirtied…"

"It sounds almost playful, not aggressive." Duo looked pensive. "How are the people feeling?"

"Complaints about exhaustion, fatigue, coughing…"

"How bad was the exhaustion?"

"One woman needed to be hospitalized, others were diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, but they all felt better after their house was cleansed."

"By who?" Duo asked sharply, sitting up straight.

"By Chang Wufei. Do you know him?"

"I do." Duo leaned back into the cushions again. "He's very careful, very knowledgeable. I'm glad to hear he has done the cleansing. I'm wondering why Winner's property is being targeted, though."

"Why do you call it 'targeted'?"

"Dark entities are almost always completely random. They don't work together, they don't obey orders, and they're fickle and reckless. It surprises me that they sort of 'choose' Winner's property to show themselves and do their vandalizing work."

"Is it possible for you to… scan the environment or something?"

"Yes, but not from a distance. I need to be physically present to detect the entities, dark or not. I can't tell you anything about Winner's property if I'm not there."

Heero felt disappointed. He had figured Duo could give him an answer to everything, but he found himself left with more questions than ever. This was a disaster. This whole research project was a disaster. Duo couldn't help him much more. Maybe he should ask Chang Wufei, if the man would bother to return his call.

"If you can get me onto Winner's property, it's no problem to check what's happening there," Duo interrupted his train of thoughts. "I can figure out a pattern if there's any, but once again, I have to be there. I can't feel it from miles away."

"How well do you know Chang Wufei?" Heero asked. Duo didn't seem to be taken aback by the sudden change of topic.

"He's virtually unmatched as a spirit hunter, well, except perhaps by me." Duo grinned. "He knows a lot of rituals, and his knowledge of demons and the otherworld is uncanny. If I were you, I'd talk to him, but I figure you're smart enough to have reached the same conclusion."

"Thank you," Heero said sarcastically. "I will search him out."

Duo chuckled behind his large mug. "Oh, don't worry. I'm sure he knows by now, and then he will search _you_ out. But let's not talk about Wufei." Duo straightened his shoulders. "How come you're involved with Winner?"

Heero told him the simple truth about the visit of Barton and Winner to his office and the importance of discretion.

"I know all about discretion," Duo snorted. "Before I start my rituals or cleansing, people make me sign all kinds of paperwork that under no circumstances, not ever ever, should I open my big yap." He looked outside, where night had fallen. "I have to get to work."

Heero got up from his chair. "Thank you for dinner."

"You're welcome." Duo stretched as he got up from the sofa. Shinigami rolled over by his sudden movement, and snorted loudly. "You know, Treize Khushrenada bought himself a Winner villa not long ago. He throws nice parties regularly. If you can get me an invitation, I can check the premises for entities and have a good time as well."

"I'll look into it." Heero said. Was the American really asking for a free invitation to a Khushrenada party? Who did he think Heero was: a celebrity lawyer?

Duo showed him out, and Shinigami, riding on Duo's right shoulder as usual, breathed a little fire at Heero. The door closed behind him and the cold emptiness of the night came crashing down on him. He shivered and quickly went home.

* * *

Heero was looking forward to a hot shower. All that talk about other worlds, dark entities and demons had chilled him to the bone, and he hurried along. It was a strange thought that Duo was going to 'work' now. So close to midnight... the Witching Hour. The concentration of ghosts and all things supernatural was probably the strongest at this hour. Well, he wasn't going to spend one more thought on entities. He was going home, and after that hot shower, he'd go to bed immediately. It had been another long day. He was tired.

Driving into the underground parking area, Heero sought out his private parking spot. Yawning, he went to the elevator and pressed the button. His apartment building was far more luxurious than Duo's; that was for sure.

How much money would a spirit hunter make? Duo didn't look like scammer to him. And why was he still thinking of him? Hot shower, hot shower…

Finally, he arrived at the second floor and walked into the hallway, suitcase and coat in one hand, keys in his other hand. Heero didn't notice the shadow until it was too late.

An arm snaked around his upper body and yanked him away from the door. Heero dropped his keys and suitcase, but his move was cut short by a razor sharp katana, hovering just a millimeter from his throat. His breathing all but stopped, the shock paralyzing his body, he stood all but frozen.

"I received your phone call," a voice whispered in his ear. "What is it you want?"

"Ch… Chang Wufei?" Heero guessed.

"One and the same. Who are you, and where did you get _my_ name?"

"Drop the weapon, please," Heero said.

"No. Answer my questions first."

"My name is Heero Yuy. This is assault. I'm asking you kindly to drop the weapon."

"What is it you want?" The sharp blade didn't move. Heero breathed through his nose.

"I want to hear about your experiences with exorcism concerning Winner's property."

"Winner?" The blade was so swiftly removed that it almost seemed impossible it had been there in the first place. Heero let out a sigh of relief. "Open the door and go inside."

Heero gathered his keys and suitcase. He wondered if Wufei would have used that blade on him if he had made just one wrong move. It was sharp enough to cut off his head. Heero shivered. He opened the door, and Wufei gave him an impatient push.

Throwing his coat over a seat, Heero went into the kitchen and busied himself with making coffee, of all things. He stared at the machine, hearing its oddly comforting sounds as it brewed the coffee, and slowly but surely got his breathing under control again.

His brain started to work, now that the shock and short burst of adrenalin had worn off. His cell phone was in his coat. His coat was over the seat close to the windowsill. How fast could he call the police? If Wufei really wouldn't hesitate to use his blade, he could impale Heero from wherever he stood.

He reminded himself to be calm and returned to the living room, his cup of coffee in his hand. Wufei was standing in the middle of the living room, dressed in white pants held together by a black belt, and his dark blue shirt was embroidered with a golden dragon. His black hair was tied back so tightly that he had to have a constant headache, and his general appearance was stern and severe. He had opened Heero's suitcase and leafed through the files at his own leisure.

"Those are confidential records," Heero snarled. "Put them back!"

"This is what you visited Maxwell for," Wufei snorted. He gathered all the papers together and put them back with just one swoop, messing them up. Heero groaned. It was going to take precious time to reorganize them. Then the meaning of Wufei's words dawned to him.

"How did you know…"

"Please." Wufei made a dismissive gesture with his hand. "It's a small world. Certain problems can only be solved by the very few."

"And you are one of the very few." Wufei radiated danger, an ongoing threat, but Heero thought it was more the man's natural attitude. The other certainly didn't seem to appreciate relaxing.

"When it comes to the extraordinary."

"Do you mind answering the same questions I asked Duo?"

"I ask questions. I do not answer them. Whatever you have asked Maxwell, I am sure his answers are the same as mine will ever be."

"So you're close friends, huh?" Heero said, looking over the rim of his mug. It was a low shot and a hit, as he saw Wufei stiffen up even more, as if stung by an insect.

"We certainly are not," he said, his voice almost painful. "His methods are far too loud and flashy and not really suitable for the delicate work with entities."

"He did manage to catch himself a _gwynnfyr_, if I'm not mistaken."

"I said we are not close friends, but we are colleagues. I appreciate him in our field of work. Delicacy he might lack, but when it comes to determination and death, Duo Maxwell is the best."

"'Determination and death'?" Heero almost choked on his coffee.

"A _gwynnfyr_ is a corrupted soul of a dead person. When it comes to dark entities, it's one of the worst."

"How did he manage to catch it?"

"Maxwell's methods are his own." Wufei shrugged. "He wields a holy scythe, just like I wield a holy blade." He tapped on the katana. "Nataku and I have returned many dark, corrupted souls to the light."

"Nataku?"

"I would not dream of naming my weapon myself," Wufei said. "It was passed down in my clan. A wonderful name for a wonderful weapon, and it belongs to me."

"How did Duo get his scythe, then?"

Wufei shrugged again. "The history of our weapons is our own. Most spirit hunters pass knowledge and weapons down, from generation to generation."

"A corrupted soul…" Heero shivered. Wufei narrowed his eyes.

"There are a lot of souls out there," he admitted. "The number of corrupted, dark and twisted souls far surpasses the number of innocent, kind and gentle souls, unfortunately. Not many people have knowledge of this, or wish to gain knowledge about it. When it comes to the supernatural, people think of bad movies or TV shows, or of weird people who claim to 'see dead people'. They can revel in their stupidity and ignorance. But Winner is smart. He deduces correctly that something is going on. And what I gather from your paperwork and that you asking for help from me and Maxwell, all leads me to think that something terrible might be going on."

"Like what?"

"That someone, or something, is organizing the dark entities. If they already manage to single out certain properties, what are they capable of when they are truly organized? Do you realize what that means, Heero Yuy? Someone organizing and being in control of the dead, of angry spirits, of vengeful spirits, accumulating to the Gods know what?"

"I didn't think of that," Heero said, taken aback. "I'm just doing research, that's all."

Wufei slung the katana over his shoulder so he had both hands free. He pointed at Heero with his right hand. "I have work to do," he said. "Get some sleep. You will be busy enough as it is."

"What? Why? Don't boss me around."

Wufei showed him an unpleasant smile. "You have no idea how deep you are in it already. I am sure Maxwell told you that you had to be physically fit and well-rested before entering any ghost world. Think about _that_."

He was out of the apartment before Heero could call him back.

* * *

"Mister Barton has called for you," Harriet said as soon as Heero returned from the courthouse. "How was the Sedici case?"

"We won," Heero said, "full acquittal."

"I didn't expect anything else." Harriet adjusted the glasses on her nose. "Mrs. Peacecraft would like to see you, when you have a minute."

Heero decided to give priority to Relena. Barton probably called for an update after receiving Heero's extensive e-mail, detailing his meetings with Duo and Wufei. He yawned. He hadn't caught much sleep after Wufei's departure. He was about to leave his office when the phone rang.

"Yes?"

"Mister Barton for you."

"Put him through." Heero sat down. Relena would have to wait. "Good morning, Mister Barton."

"Good morning, Mister Yuy." Barton's voice was low and neutral. "I read your e-mail. A thorough report, as expected. Mister Winner is very pleased."

"Thank you."

"I read that both exorcists can't say what's going on if they're not in the presence of the source."

"Yes," Heero admitted. "I don't know the exact details of their work, Mister Barton. They seem very serious in what they do, but neither one offered to let me to tag along."

"You're pretty skeptical."

"More like realistic."

"I know; that's why we hired you." Barton chuckled briefly. "In any case, Mister Winner asked me to put a little haste on the case. We've received more complaints, and the intensity of the 'pranks' are getting out of hand. More so, we had someone viciously attacked just yesterday. I'll have the documents brought to you by courier immediately."

"What about Maxwell and Chang?"

"If they can only spot the problem when they're around, they have to be around. You'll notice that the bulk of the complaints come from the Khushrenada compound. Fortunately, he still likes to throw parties; I'll make sure you all get invitations."

"But I…" Heero wanted to protest, but Barton had already disconnected. "…am just doing the research," he spoke to the empty air.


	3. Chapter 3

As before, Heero received the necessary paperwork an hour later. Harriet took the envelope from the courier as Heero was at Relena's office, catching up on current events. Relena needed Heero's input on a few cases they were both working on, and she couldn't resist asking him about Quatre Winner. She didn't ask for details about the case due to confidentiality, but she wanted to know if Winner was really as polite as tabloids insisted, despite him being besieged by opportunistic businessmen and gold-digging women.

After exchanging some other news - Relena's husband Mark was taking his election race for mayor very seriously - Heero returned to his own office, spotting the envelope waiting on his desk. He opened it and took out the content: the promised witness statement reports and three cards on embossed, heavy paper.

"What's this?" Folding the cards open, Heero realized what they were: invitations to the party hosted by Treize Khushrenada, invitations the average man/woman would kill for, as Khushrenada's parties were luxurious, amazing and the place to be. Despite being a playboy and type-casted as the strong, mysterious and most handsome of all men, Khushrenada had a good heart: this party was a fundraiser for cancer research. The man might never win an Academy Award, but he didn't use his influence and riches only for himself. Heero called Duo first then Wufei to let them know about the invitations. He mentioned the date and place and stressed that they better show up in time. This was an opportunity they couldn't afford to miss.

Duo Maxwell showed up at exactly ten o'clock. He looked stunning in a black tuxedo with a pristine white shirt, and a black, silk scarf was intricately woven into his braid. His violet eyes matched with the deep, rich purple tie he was wearing, and his smile was astounding. Heero had a hard time keeping his eyes off of him.

"No Wufei yet, huh?" Duo said and he took a glass of champagne from a waiter's serving tray. "Don't worry, he'll show up… or better yet, he's probably already around somewhere, hiding in the shadows. That guy can move like a ghost himself."

"Are you picking up something yet?" Heero asked.

"I should've brought Shini," Duo said. "He can sniff out Slimer in a freezer bag."

"Who's Slimer?"

"Never mind." Duo smiled. "Don't worry. I do sense something, but it's not out of the ordinary. And as far as I can see, no materials that conduct spiritual matter have been used. It's all modern stuff, concrete and plastics. As far as I know, this property wasn't built on a burial ground."

"I can ask Barton to send me layouts of the property," Heero suggested. "Maybe there's something left, a residue or presence…"

"You're getting into it," Duo said, smiling joyfully. "Ever considered a change of job?"

"No, thank you." Heero hid behind his glass of champagne, feeling awkwardly hot. He chalked it up to the crowded party, too many people moving around and talking, while the music was too loud and the laughter too fake. Duo was standing out in every way, not only because of his good looks. Compared to all the plastic and fake attitudes around them, Duo was refreshingly down to Earth. And good looking. Way too good looking.

"There's Wufei." Duo pointed him out. His fellow spirit hunter was dressed in all white, with another golden embroidered dragon on his chest, its tail waving out over his back. The pattern was handcrafted, and Heero could see the details of the shimmering scales, reminding him of Shinigami.

"Slight disturbance, but nothing out of the ordinary," Wufei said, cutting right to the chase. "I have been here before to perform a cleansing ritual. Unfortunately, the presence is obnoxious and persistent - just like you, Maxwell. It always returns."

"What is it?" Heero asked.

"I don't know," both Duo and Wufei answered and exchanged a grumpy look.

"There's an entity in this house, and it won't go away. It worries me a little," Duo said, ignoring Wufei's haughty look. "A long-lingering presence like that can grow in strength and cause trouble in the long run."

He had barely finished his sentence when Quatre Winner came to stand with them. After introductions and mutual handshakes, Quatre heaved a small sigh. "I don't visit many of these parties. If I'd accept every invitation I was offered… but I have to show my face in public every once in a while, or the tabloids will write that I'm dead. Fortunately, Khushrenada doesn't party only for the pleasure. I'm here to donate to the good cause."

"Cancer research, right?" Duo said.

"Exactly." Trowa Barton joined the circle with two glasses of champagne, handing one to Quatre.

Duo's eyes went wide all of a sudden, it happened so fast that Heero doubted the others noticed it, but then he saw the surprised look on Trowa's face. Did they know each other? But how?

For the first time, the calm and stern business associate seemed to be thrown off guard. His hand trembled a little, the champagne sloshing in his glass. Heero quickly looked at Wufei, but he wasn't looking at Trowa and didn't seem to notice something was off.

The moment was gone quickly, just in a blink of an eye. Quatre talked to Duo about philanthropy like old friends and Wufei was listening into the conversation. Heero was still in doubt whether he should say something about it, when a ripple went through the crowd, buzzing with excitement.

"What's going on?"

The answer to Duo's question came into plain view: Treize Khushrenada had arrived at his own party, mingling with the guests, all smiles and friendly nods. The playboy actor moved around like he was the king of Hollywood himself. As usual, women fainted in his presence and men were jealous of his appearance. With large steps - and taking his sweet time to smile at the ladies - Khushrenada walked to the large center stage and took the microphone from the ceremony master.

"Dear friends, family, fans," he spoke dramatically, "I'm so glad you could come, all of you," - a large smile, and Heero could hear the ladies swoon - "to be together at this important event. Life's not all about glitter and glamour, and we all know how hollow and empty our lives can be without love and attention. It's time we think of the people who are affected by…"

Heero shut out the man's voice and looked around, his eyes automatically focusing on Duo, who had just been staring at him; when caught, the spirit hunter smiled and winked - _winked_! Heero didn't blush quickly, but now he felt like his entire face was a screaming red.

He tried to focus on the speech again, but he was too busy replaying Duo's wink over and over again in his mind. Had it been an I'm-interested wink or just a teasing, don't-think-of-it-much wink? And why was he even contemplating what kind of wink it was? He wasn't some kind of high school girl who went giddy at just a wink!

Heero shrugged brusquely and waited patiently until Khushrenada had finished his speech. As soon as his last words had rung through the room, people moved forward to donate. Quatre was about to excuse himself when Heero heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Heero! I didn't know you enjoyed this kind of event!"

He didn't need to turn around. Relena was standing behind him, arm in arm with Mark. He should've known that the society couple would be invited to an event like this.

"Relena, Mark, may I introduce you to Chang Wufei and Duo Maxwell? Wufei, Duo, this is Relena Peacecraft and her husband, Mark Wilkinson."

"Ah, the new candidate for mayor," Wufei said, acknowledging him with a slight nod of his head.

"Accompanied by a lovely and beautiful princess," Duo flattered Relena, taking her hand and pressing a kiss upon it. She blushed slightly but was immensely pleased with Duo's compliment.

"And…" Heero continued, but Relena was faster.

"Mister Winner doesn't need any introduction," she said and extended her hand gracefully. "I'm very happy to finally meet you in person, Mister Winner."

"So am I, Mrs. Peacecraft." Quatre mimicked Duo's gesture, and Relena's blush darkened. "I started my business awfully young, but I wasn't as successful at your age, to be partner in such a successful law firm."

Relena inclined her head, smiling at another compliment, and introduced her husband to Quatre. Mark was more than happy and impressed to meet him.

"May I introduce my business associate to you, Trowa Barton?" Quatre said, and another round of introductions followed. Mark attached himself to Quatre and Trowa, engaging the men into conversation. Relena turned around and tapped Heero lightly on his arm.

"It's incredibly difficult to get an invitation for a Khushrenada party," she whispered. "We only got one because of Mark's political position. How did you get one?"

"I was invited by Winner," Heero said. "Sort of."

She was impressed. "You're making friends in the right places, Heero. Now that's what I call networking." Relena's eyes went over Duo, standing a little to the side, as if in thought. "Maybe you'll meet someone to your fancy here," she teased Heero gently.

"Who knows," Heero answered, a little too airily.

"Relena, dear," Mark called out to her, saving Heero from further conversation, "are you coming with us? Mister Winner wishes to donate to the good cause."

"But of course." Relena smiled at her husband. "See you tomorrow," she said. "Have fun tonight."

"Fun tonight?" Heero protested, but he was staring at her retreating back, as the tail of her cocktail dress disappeared into the crowd.

"Now that's one gorgeous lady," Duo commented. "Her husband is running for mayor? He has to earn big bucks to afford all that Dior on her."

"Politics," Heero said dismissingly. He wasn't interested in Mark Wilkinson's paycheck.

He was about to ask where Wufei had gone off to, when the press, present to report about the fundraiser, flocked together to take pictures of the celebrities donating to the charity. Quatre held up a large check for half a million dollars, withstanding the cruel flashlights so close to his face with a kind smile. Relena and Mark posed for pictures as well, holding a check for a hundred thousand dollars.

"Son of a bitch," Heero heard Duo mutter under his breath. He looked at him.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just some minor hell spawn," Duo answered, gritting his teeth. "I thought nothing had changed."

"You mean that presence that won't go away?"

"No." Duo was cautious. His eyes darted around. "No wonder Wufei high-tailed it out of here. This place is a mess."

"What are you talking about? So suddenly?"

"So suddenly, yes." Duo sounded bitter. "What did you think, mister fancy-pants-lawyer? That ghosts and spirits announce themselves with trumpets and drums? Especially the dark world can shift, move and change within seconds, milliseconds. That's why I said I should've brought Shini with me. He's a creature of the otherworld himself, he knows."

Heero was fairly shocked at Duo's casual confirmation that his pet was a creature of darkness, even though his rational mind had already known that Shinigami couldn't have been of this world. He shivered lightly.

"What is it you see, then?" He asked. "What kind of… minor hell spawn?"

"Not worth mentioning." Duo shrugged. "Not a real threat, more just a nuisance. However, if there's a concentration of minor hell spawn, it's very likely that there's a boss around somewhere."

"A boss." Heero repeated. He stared at Duo as if the other had grown a second head. He had a sinking feeling what the other was talking about. _Someone organizing and being in control of the dead, of angry spirits, of vengeful spirits, accumulating to the Gods know what._

"I'll be back soon." Duo left quickly, making his way through the crowd. Heero had no other choice but to watch him leave.

He waited for a while, but it didn't take long for him to grow impatient. Where had Wufei and Duo gone off to? They shared knowledge and experience that Heero didn't have any access to, and he oddly felt left out. It wasn't any of his business, he kept telling himself. He was just doing the research, as the lawyer he was, not some kind of Ghostbuster, a spirit hunter, or an exorcist.

But as time went by, Heero grew not only impatient, but also worried. Duo had said that he'd be back soon. What was soon? He never told Heero not to follow him. Heero decided to go into the same direction Duo had went to, and carefully searched his way through the crowd, ignoring celebrities and other attendants.

Finally, he ended up in a large hallway, with the kitchen to the left. Waiters and waitresses walked in and out, carrying dirty dishes, plates filled with food or drink, hurrying along and too busy to notice him. Heero tapped on the shoulder of a young man rinsing dirty plates.

"Excuse me, have you seen a man pass by, wearing a tuxedo, with a long braid?"

The young man looked a little confused, as every waiter was clad in a tuxedo, but the braid seemed to ring a bell. "I think he went through the back door," he pointed with a hand full of suds, "to the pantry."

Heero thanked him and went to the pantry, using all his strength to open the heavy door. The lights were on, revealing the large stock of the Khushrenada kitchen. With large freezer units and storage shelves to keep vegetables cool and fresh; wooden racks holding a gigantic liquor collection; and metal racks with shelves piled with boxes, cans and cartons, the pantry itself was the size of a space colony. Heero heard voices, faintly, in the distance. Without making much noise, he moved through the metal racks.

"How do we patch it?" Duo sounded worried.

"I have to contact Master Long." Wufei's voice was neutral. "I have not seen a rift like this in a long time."

"We have to take precautionary measures. We can't let it continue to fester like this."

"Did you bring anything along?"

A snort. "Do I ever come unprepared?"

"Yes, you do."

"Spoilsport."

"Just do it, Maxwell."

"Fine."

Heero chose a hiding spot behind a huge stack of boxes. It wasn't exactly elegant to spy, but he had the distinct feeling neither Duo nor Wufei would appreciate his presence right now. Duo pulled something from his pants pockets: green, round shapes, like beads. He started to crush them in his hand, mashing them with his fingers, turning it into a green paste. Wufei dabbed his fingers in the green paste as well. If he didn't know any better, Heero would say the touch was almost gentle. He shivered - and not only from the cold temperature in the pantry.

Suddenly, Wufei started to talk, but it wasn't in any language Heero could recognize. It wasn't talking, he realized: it was chanting, a recital of a mantra. Duo moved, his braid slipping over his shoulder as he crouched down, next to a freezer unit.

While Wufei kept chanting, Duo worked with his hands, but Heero couldn't make out what he was doing. After a while, Wufei went silent. Heero was holding his breath.

"This will have to do," Duo said. "You're going to consult Long, I'll…"

"Master Long," Wufei corrected him.

"Master Long," Duo repeated. "I'll see what I can do."

"All right. What did you see with Barton?"

Heero would have gasped if he hadn't been holding his breath already. So Wufei had noticed after all!

"I'm not sure. This is a tough one," Duo said. "I'll have to investigate. I don't like it being so close to Winner."

"I can see why it chose to open a rift here, though," Wufei said.

"Khushrenada is a gate to the demon world," Duo confirmed.

"Fortunately he is not a gate large enough to give way to anything but the weakest." Wufei snorted again, but not with as much vehemence as before. "The question is, is he acting willingly or unwillingly as a gate?"

"I think Khushrenada knows a lot more than you give him credit for," Duo said. He stared at the spot next to the freezer unit. "Have you seen his library?"

"Maxwell, have you been touring his house?" Wufei sounded incredulous.

"Hey, it wasn't like anyone was paying attention or something."

"That is trespassing, Maxwell. Your lawyer boyfriend can tell you all about it."

"He's not my boyfriend, sweetheart. How's Meiran doing nowadays?"

"Asshole!" Wufei punched Duo against the shoulder and turned around to walk away.

Quickly, Heero crouched even lower, pressing himself to the floor, hoping that they wouldn't notice him. Wufei passed the metal racks, looking aggravated, and Duo shivered dramatically, complaining about the cold.

Heero waited until they were gone. He had to force himself to get up, his body stiff from the cold, and he stretched before walking over to the freezer unit where Duo and Wufei had been standing. He couldn't see anything strange about it. The green stuff was gone. He kept staring for another five minutes. Nothing happened. Heero decided to leave the pantry and snuck a few canapés with him from the kitchen before he mingled with the crowd again. For once, he was glad for the warmth provided by all the people together; the cold pantry had chilled him to the bone.

He searched out Duo, and he found him, without Wufei, standing at the buffet. Duo was sipping a tropical juice cocktail and he looked at Heero, squinting his eyes a little before smiling like he usually did and said: "Great party, right?"

"It's not bad. Not that I have much experience with parties."

"All work and no play makes for a very dull boy," Duo said. "It's no shame to relax."

"You're right."

"So, how many hours of work do you pack a week? Sixty, eighty?"

"If you prepare correctly and have a good, dependable secretary, lawyer work shouldn't be as excessive as John Grisham makes it out to be."

"True. I'm sorry if I come off as rude. I don't know much about the lawyer business. I'm a little biased."

"Biased how?"

"I don't have many good experiences with them." Duo shrugged. "Many of them stiffed me on the bill, and a lot of them tried to make me look like a quack or a deranged loon in court. 'Ghosts, Mister Maxwell? Really? Do you have any pictures of them? Fingerprints? Are they waiting for you on the other side?'" He imitated a low, arrogant tone of voice. "You've been the only one to treat me professionally, the only one who has taken me seriously. You won't believe how many would like to make fun of me. 'So Mister Maxwell, is there any ghost that you can describe present in this room?'" he used the same low, arrogant voice again, "or 'do you see dead people too, Mister Maxwell?'"

"Well, do you?" Heero couldn't help himself and immediately added "Sorry."

"No, it's okay." Duo heaved a sigh. "I do see them. But it's not like you think, and it's not like in the movies. I don't want to talk about it. This property is clean for now, but it's only a temporary fix. We need to think about a permanent solution. I have to do some research before I know for sure."

"Have you any idea who's targeting this property? Or Winner?" Heero was curious to learn if Duo would say something about Trowa.

"No, that's why I need to do some research. Enjoy the party, Heero Yuy."

Relena had managed to score autographs of Treize Khushrenada and was happy to give one to her own secretary and to Heero's. Harriet all but melted at the large picture with the autograph on it, and it was actually funny to see his overly calm and composed secretary make googly eyes at the framed picture. She wrote a thank-you card to Relena, and Heero delivered it himself, using the opportunity to ask Relena out for lunch. She happily accepted, but due to her busy schedule, she couldn't make it this week. She looked tired.

In his office, Heero performed Internet searches on Duo Maxwell and Chang Wufei. He only found one Duo Maxwell, a forty year old beer-guzzling hillbilly with a tribal tattoo on his wrist and barely a hair on his head. No Duo Maxwell with a braid and involved in supernatural activity. The many Chang Wufeis didn't yield the one Heero had met.

Out of curiosity and with the overheard conversation in the pantry in his mind, Heero searched on Khushrenada. Ignoring all the gossip on relationships and love interests, movie releases, parties in general and a lot of uninteresting stuff, Heero came across articles talking about Khushrenada's belief in the spiritual. Rather innocent at first, but when he delved deeper, he found articles on the actor theorizing about the existence of spirits and demons, and how his interest in the supernatural had come to grow.

What had Duo called him? A gate. A gate to the demon world. How could that be?

He read an article in which Khushrenada admitted that, ever since he played with an Ouija board as a kid, he was fascinated. His father had passed away at a very young age, and he believed he could talk to him with help of the board.

"I just wanted to see my father again," Heero read out loud, "I knew for sure he was a friendly ghost, and that there was no danger to it. It was an innocent wish of an innocent boy."

Heero left it at that. A quick research query for Trowa Barton left him dissatisfied; virtually nothing but his company profile existed. Apparently, he had studied law and business administration, but his resume didn't mention when and where. His official title was 'Executive Assistant to Mister Winner'.

What had Quatre called him? Business associate. Drumming with his fingers on his desk, Heero frowned. Wufei was right. He was far more involved in this than he could ever imagine.

Apart from the 'Ghostbusters'-case, as the entire office had dubbed it, Heero had a lot of other work on his plate. He had to prepare his defenses and talk to his clients and experts. Harriet had scheduled a murderous agenda filled with court visits, and his workload seemed to double by the hour. The paparazzi had spotted Quatre Winner visiting Darlian, Peacecraft, Merquise and Yuy, and Relena was overwhelmed with questions and interviews. It was amazing how one case could bring about such an avalanche, and Heero and the other partners all felt like their lives had been turned upside down.

Despite being buried with work, Heero found himself looking forward to hearing something from Duo. It had been two days, and the spirit hunter had been oddly silent. Heero wondered how long it was going to take the other to do his research.

Just as he was contemplating calling him, Harriet knocked on his door, entered, and put a sticky note on his desk. It wasn't usual for Harriet to enter his office like this; their interaction was mostly by e-mail or phone. His eyes went to the bright yellow note, and read her large handwriting: "Mister Maxwell has invited you for dinner tonight."

The corners of his mouth curled up in a smile, until he noticed that Harriet was still standing in front of his desk. She was gauging his reaction!

"Something I can do for you, Harriet?" he asked her, sickly sweet. She didn't even bother to pretend.

"Do you want me to call Mister Maxwell to accept the invitation or decline it?"

He had to admit: the woman had balls - exactly why he had hired her.

"I will take care of it, Harriet." His neutral face might be a little disappointing to her, but she didn't press matters and left his office. It took Heero the rest of the afternoon to work up the courage to actually call Duo; he left a message on his voice mail, as usual. He couldn't wait to hear the warmth in Duo's voice again, not a pre-recorded message.

Heero didn't want to arrive empty-handed. This was the second time Duo treated him to dinner without expecting or asking anything in return. He didn't want to come across as someone who abused his hospitality. The question was however, what to bring him. Heero didn't know Duo that well. A bottle of wine? Liquor? Duo hadn't drunk anything stronger than tropical juice at Khushrenada's party.

After giving it a long and hard thought, Heero couldn't come up with anything else but a bottle of expensive whiskey after all. It was easier to find something suitable for Shinigami: a bag of meat. The dragon.. gargoyle… dragoyle might be obnoxious, he was valuable to Duo.

He expected the creature to jump at him as soon as he knocked on the door of Duo's apartment, but to his surprise it was the spirit hunter himself who opened the door.

"You have excellent timing," he said. "Dinner is just about to be served! You have a very nice secretary, by the way. Harriet, right? When I told her I wanted to invite you for dinner, she started to give me all kinds of tips on what food I should prepare you. I didn't know you had Japanese ancestry, though I should've noticed!"

Heero stood confused, processing the waterfall of words. _Harriet _had been giving tips? Since when was his Iron Secretary meddling with his private life? She buried him with files and work, not with culinary advice.

"Your expression is priceless," Duo continued mercilessly, "but you look cute when you're flabbergasted. Come on in!"

Heero stepped inside, looking around for the dragoyle. Duo waved with his hand.

"Don't worry, he'll show up somewhere," he said.

"I'm not all that fond of seeing him again," Heero grumbled. Duo guided him through the hallway. The scents coming from the kitchen were delicious, as before. "I brought something for you."

"For me?" Duo took the bottle of liquor, packaged in a rectangular box. "How chic!" he exclaimed when he took out the bottle and stared at the label. "Oh wow, amazing! That goes great with coffee!"

"Real coffee, that is," Heero reminded him of his habit to overload his coffee with cream and sugar.

"Or ice cream," Duo said. "Thank you. That's very kind of you."

Heero liked the smile on Duo's face. He handed him the bag of meat. "This is for your pet."

"You thought of Shini too? Fresh meat? You'll be his best friend forever!"

Duo walked into the kitchen to put the meat into the refrigerator. Heero followed him, still confused and amazed about Duo's words and the tiny kitchen, completely stuffed from floor to ceiling with pots and pans, utensils and dinnerware.

"Can I help?" he asked.

"Can you take those pans to the table?" Duo pointed to two pans, one with rice, and one with potatoes. It looked like he'd cooked for an entire army, Heero thought. Duo carried a frying pan with several thin slices of meat and a huge dish with fresh, steamed vegetables and mushrooms.

"I'm sorry, I don't have any chopsticks," Duo apologized.

"I have some Japanese ancestry in me, Harriet was right about that, but I'm not living according to Japanese customs," Heero said dryly. "I'll do fine with knife and fork."

They set the table and Heero couldn't do anything but to compliment Duo on his hard work: he had made beef teriyaki, udon, gyoza and harashi rice. Heero scratched the back of his head.

"Are you expecting more eaters?"

"Oh no, just the two of us," Duo said. "You know I can pack quite some food away, and the previous time you had no difficulty cleaning your plate either."

"True," Heero said as he sat down. "I'm not used to such delicious home cooking."

"Why thank you," Duo beamed. "I was taught the basics, but I developed my own style through trial and error." He rubbed his hands. "It's time to dig in!"

"Itadakimasu," Heero said formally. He got such a bright smile in return that he was glad he was sitting down, because otherwise his knees would've given out on him.

Heero helped himself to a little bit of every dish. It was Duo's first time to venture into the Asian kitchen, much to his own satisfaction.

"You mentioned your American heritage earlier," Heero remarked. "How does an American like you end up in Sanq Kingdom?"

Duo munched on a few mushrooms and swallowed before answering. "Believe it or not, but Sanq has a very high concentration of supernatural activity," he said. "Mysterious activity. Not just poltergeists and ghosts, but beings like a _gwynnfyr_, or a _qullu'an_. Ancient, ancient entities who shouldn't be around nowadays."

"I know Sanq has a rich history." Heero racked his mind for details. He hadn't spent much time on studying history, as his preference for law had been obvious since his youngest days. "A rich and a violent history," Duo said. "Today, Sanq profiles itself as one of the most peace-loving and pacifistic countries in the world, but its chronicles are filled with war and massacres. It happened a long, long time ago, but I do believe it might be a reason why so many dark entities are manifesting here. The world revolves around energy, and nothing attracts dark entities as much as negative energy… and believe me, war generates a lot of negative energy."

"And you got somehow attracted to it? I mean, you could feel that energy?"

"Exactly." Duo poked at a piece of beef. The scrunching sounds from under the table reminded Heero that Shinigami was eating its meal.

"Amazing," Heero said.

"You're not calling me delusional, or crazy, or stupid," Duo said. "That's what I like about you."

Heero almost dumped his scoop of rice next to his plate. "Well, I'm a lawyer," he said, rather brusquely to cover up his mishap, "I was taught to think rationally and logically."

"So if there's a crime committed in any of the other worlds, will you defend it according to the law?"

"According to the law pertaining to that world, yes," Heero said. "But I don't know if there are any laws for other worlds. Demon worlds, that is… That's your territory. I only deal with the people's world. Heaven and Earth, plain stuff like that."

"If only it was just plain heaven and Earth," Duo said, "but I told you before: there are many other worlds and dark creatures, angry entities and powerful demons. But don't let me to spoil your appetite - or my own, for that matter. Hand me that bowl, please?"

They continued to eat, exchanging pleasantries instead of talking about entities or creatures. Heero waited patiently for Duo to bring up the Khushrenada party. He figured Duo would mention it as soon as they had coffee. He was right; Duo settled into the seat opposite of him, Shinigami perched on his right shoulder, licking its plump snout as it smacked on the last remnants of its dinner.

"So, about Khushrenada," Duo said pensively. "His house is like a gathering place for dark entities. A party site for minor hell spawn: satyrs, tricksters. A nuisance, but any nuisance can turn into a big problem. Especially when dark entities are involved."

"You called Khushrenada a 'gate'," Heero reminded him. "Do you mean he's all but welcoming the dark entities?"

"He means well, in a twisted way." Duo licked off his spoon. Shinigami snorted, a puff of smoke leaving its nostrils. Its red eyes were still gauging Heero, who concentrated on the end of Duo's braid to avoid the creature's glare. "Some people have a natural link to another world. They can sense demons or are able to see them. Some people search them out. They buy an Ouija board and think they'll be having a good time. I won't go into detail about the naivety they display, or about how much trouble they can cause if they, in their ignorance, meddle with forces and powers one shouldn't be meddling with. Many dark entities are of the suave, manipulative kind, and before you know it you can have an onslaught on your hands, just because you believed an entity."

"Why do people search out dark entities?"

"Who knows?" Duo shrugged. "People believe there's more between heaven and Earth, or they're interested in everything dark and unknown just because, or they feel attracted to monsters and demons just like others like fairytales, or cooking, or drawing… who knows?"

Shinigami snorted loudly again, as if wanting to disagree with Duo. It flapped a little with its wings before settling on Duo's right shoulder again, nuzzling its head in the crook of Duo's neck. Heero didn't realize he was giving the creature a jealous look and sipped too much of his coffee, nearly scorching his tongue.

"It's not all malicious intent. You wouldn't believe how many people do things out of sheer curiosity or plain ignorance… anyhow, Wufei discovered a small rift in Khushrenada's villa," Duo continued. "Sometimes, the borders between the normal world and the otherworld are thin and sometimes the borders even overlap. When that happens, it's easy for any entity to slip through and make contact with the real world. Those rifts always occur in the home of someone who's very much open to the other world. That's why we call them 'a gate'. Rifts are extremely dangerous. When not fixed properly, they can tear and cause a permanent opening between human and demon worlds. I don't think I have to draw you a picture on what could happen then."

"Those rifts… Do they happen very often?"

Duo took his time to answer and scratched Shinigami's nose. "I have noticed that the borders are wearing thin, lately. Slowly, but still… That's why people like me and Wufei are necessary. Not only to cleanse and heal, but also to check upon the defenses of our world, and repairing it when needed."

Heero couldn't help himself; as much as he was repulsed by the thoughts of demons and dark entities, he was also fascinated by them. Or was he fascinated by Duo talking, and listening to his warm, kind voice? He liked the way Duo was casually reclining in his seat, and he tried to imagine what it would be like to sit next to the other and hold and cuddle him. It wasn't the first thought about Duo to pop up in his mind, but it was the most intimate so far. Heero clenched his mug. It was a good thing that Duo couldn't read his mind. He quickly continued the conversation.

"Are the entities of the other worlds aggressive? Mean? Do they want something from our world?"

"There are so many entities, creatures and beings, if I were to explain them all, we'd still be here somewhere around next year," Duo chuckled. "But no, not all entities are aggressive or mean. Some of them are just confused. Some of them are kind and friendly. But as with every society, large groups can be organized. A demon itself is a creature, a being, unable of coherent or logical actions. A stronger demon, one with the capability to think, can give orders to the lower class demons. He, or she, can put his/her will onto them."

"I didn't know rational thought or willpower was possible in a demon world," Heero said. "Like I said, there are many entities, creatures and beings. Demons often come into existence when… No, let me explain it differently. Demons are ghosts who don't realize that they're dead. They can't move on and don't understand why not. They want to return to the real world, but they can't. Their anger and sadness turns into aggression, and so a kind soul can corrupt itself into a demon."

"Your work is scary."

Duo allowed Shinigami to drink the last drops of his sweetened coffee. "I know. But it's what I do, and frankly, I don't want to do anything else. It can be very satisfying and rewarding work, Heero. Like I said, not every entity is aggressive. Most of them are just sad and grieving, not for their own lost life, but because they miss their loved ones. Sometimes their love is so strong, that they're still hovering in limbo, looking for a chance to return. They can't, of course. The dead do not return to the world of the living. I can help them move on."

Heero was about to say something, when his smartphone went off. He excused himself and pulled the Blackberry out of his pocket. Duo stood up and went to the kitchen to get more coffee. Heero looked at the display of his phone. Unknown number.

"Yuy," he all but barked into the receiver.

"Heero, I'm so glad you picked up." Quatre Winner's voice didn't sound as smooth and composed as usual. In fact, he sounded rather panicked. "Do you have the phone number of Duo Maxwell? I… Something has happened, and I would've asked Trowa, but it's his evening off and I can't find him anywhere."

"I happen to be right here at Duo's," Heero answered a little stiffly, but Quatre wasn't worrying at the least about the implications.

"You are? Thank God! Please, I need to speak to him!"

Heero put him on the speaker, and his voice was so loud that Duo easily overheard him, even all the way from the kitchen. With the coffee pot in his hand, Duo called out loudly: "I'm right here, Quatre. What's going on?"

"Please come to the Khushrenada estate," Quatre begged. "Something has happened. Not over the phone. Get your stuff; a car is on your way." He disconnected promptly. Heero's surprised look matched Duo's.

"I've never heard him so upset like this," Duo said. "What's going on?"

"I don't know," Heero said. "But we better do as he says."


	4. Chapter 4

The large villa looked eerie in the late evening. Every curtain had been closed and the lights were dimmed. Heero expected a maid to appear with a candlestick in her hand, adding to the spooky atmosphere. It was Quatre himself who opened the door and bade them inside.

"What's going on?" was Heero's harsh demand. Quatre looked at Duo, all dressed in black. "This way," Quatre said and lead them to the impressive, Titanic-size stairs. They were flanked by two marble female statues: naked, with a few draperies around their lower legs. The carpet was so thick that it completely muffled the sound of their footsteps. No one spoke.

Upstairs, a few maids had grouped together, looking troubled and worried. A tall man, unmistakably a butler, wore the same troubled expression. When Duo and Heero arrived, they all looked up with renewed hope in their eyes.

Quatre opened the doors to a large bedroom, and it took only a second for Heero to figure out that he was about to enter Treize Khushrenada's private quarters. Harriet would faint if she knew!

It was warm in the room; a huge open fireplace gave off the intense heat. An enormous self-portrait adorned the west wall, and a prominent display case was set up so that everyone could see the various awards he had won. The luxury of the room was eccentric and decadent; Heero hadn't expected anything else.

Quatre went straight to the bed, wringing his hands. He followed him, almost bumping into Duo, as he stood still. Only now Heero noticed Chang Wufei standing next to the luscious bed, katana in hand, unsheathed. Khushrenada was on the bed, eyes closed.

"Maxwell," Wufei acknowledged Duo's presence, ignoring Heero.

"Wufei," the other said. "What's going on?"

"See for yourself. There's nothing left." He took a few steps back. Duo took his place and leaned into Khushrenada.

The playboy actor was dressed in an expensive silk pair of pajamas. On his nightstand was an autobiography of Marlon Brando, a few scripts with post-it notes attached to it and a half-finished glass of water. No pills, no syringes, no white stuff. Everything looked spotless clean, and Khushrenada himself as if he was simply sleeping. Duo held his hand over Khushrenada's face, moving his fingers and slightly tapping him on the forehead, eyelids, nose, lips and chin. He looked troubled.

"This is bad," he muttered under his breath.

"What happened?" Quatre asked. "What am I supposed to say to his friends and family?"

"He has to be brought to the hospital," Wufei said. "He obviously can't take care of himself right now, and he'll die if he goes without nutrients and water."

"But what about his family? His career?"

"The tabloids are going to be all over this," Duo said. "'Playboy actor drinks himself into a comatose state'."

"But…" Quatre said.

"Which is better than 'Playboy actor gets soul sucked out after paranormal experiment going wrong'," Duo continued dryly. Quatre was silenced, his eyes widened.

"Wait, what? But… everything looks so peaceful!"

"I know." Duo narrowed his eyes. He looked at Quatre so intensely that the business man took a few steps backwards. "There are many questions to be answered, but we don't have much time to waste if we want to retrieve him."

"Please do," Quatre sighed.

"It cannot be done just like this, in a matter of seconds," Wufei all but snarled. "We have to set up our defenses properly, Maxwell. We will have to go in deep!"

"True." Duo looked a little defeated. "We better figure out what went wrong first. If we know what the flaw in his summoning was, we can focus on that and adjust our strategy."

"Finally some sense and wisdom coming from you," Wufei muttered under his breath. Heero was sure Duo had overheard it, but he didn't comment. Quatre was still looking from one to the other, obviously worried.

"The man outside, is he a doctor?"

"Yes. The maid looking up on Khushrenada alarmed him."

"Why was she looking up on him?"

Quatre pointed at a button next to the copper alarm clock. "He had pushed it."

Duo clacked with his tongue and Wufei made a noncommittal sound. "Any witnesses?"

"No, she found him like this. She immediately alerted the butler, who called me. I'm not sure why the man made that choice, I don't know Khushrenada that well, but it might have to do with that my name has been connected to…" he was searching for the right words, "… strange cases."

"There's nothing to see." Heero was confused. No blood, no visible injuries, no sign of a struggle… just Khushrenada, lying lifeless on the bed. Then it dawned to him. Lifeless. _There was nothing there. There's nothing left._

"_Qullu'an_. Soul reapers," Duo said. "His summoning must've gone wrong. I don't know what he tried to summon or why he did it alone… but it's a mess."

"Soul reapers?"

"Very strong demons." Wufei looked annoyed. "He used a ritual to summon it, but somehow he botched it."

"I see the amplifier." Duo crossed the room to a cherry wood bookcase and took a small statue from the top shelf. It looked like a Polynesian god, grinning at Duo. Wufei's rigid posture didn't change for a moment, his hand never loosening its grip on the katana. He was the only one not startled by the sound of breaking clay and porcelain. Quatre paled.

"What have you done? That was priceless!"

"Khushrenada will thank me later," Duo deadpanned. "This was the amplifier, and it opened the gate for the _qullu'an_."

"So… you're saying they… whatever… took his _soul_?" Heero reacted with horror. No wonder there were no signs of struggle. This wasn't something physical.

"Soul reapers are the lowest of the lowest," Wufei said, not bothering to hide his disdain. "But they're also strong."

"And they often are controlled by a boss," Duo said. "Soul reapers are called into existence. Someone - or something - has willfully and consciously created an entity to steal a soul and do with it only the Gods know what."

"What would… anyone want to do with a soul?" Quatre's voice wavered.

"It is rare to have the entire soul taken," Wufei said. His knuckles on the katana had turned white, but still he didn't let go of the weapon. "Human souls are sources of spiritual energy. Demons like to fester on it, like parasites, because the energy sustains them for so long. That is why people can be possessed; it is always a demon feeding itself off of the spiritual energy. But to take a soul in its entirety…"

"It still could be the result of a bad summoning." Duo looked around. "I don't see anything pertaining to a ritual, though. It might be that the statue activated on its own, something we overlooked during the party."

"We fixed the rift," Wufei said. "If the soul reaper had already been in the house, we would have sensed him, especially you, Duo. It is a Death-type, after all."

"We better take care of Khushrenada," Duo's voice drowned out Wufei's. "Get him to the hospital, and leave it to his PR department to come up with an excuse about his absence. We have other things to think about."

Quatre wrung his hands. "I don't know what to do," he said.

"Go home, Quatre," Duo said. "Leave it to us."

"I will look into the matter," Wufei said and finally loosened his grip on the katana. "You go prepare, Maxwell. I will catch up with you later."

"All right." Duo hoisted his backpack over his shoulder. "We'll make sure that Khushrenada will be safe."

"What about me?" Heero asked.

"You're going home too," Duo said firmly. "There's nothing you can do here."

* * *

Heero stared at the ceiling of his small bedroom. Quatre followed up on Duo's words and had send Heero home in his company car. Nobody said no to Quatre Winner, and grudgingly, Heero had conceded. The chauffeur had been silent. Not that Heero was up for a chat. He was worrying. Worrying about Duo, worrying about the strange things that happened, even worrying about Khushrenada. He wished no harm upon the man, and he could still see his lifeless body on the bed.

Heero turned around, the sheets softly rustling with the movement. Ghosts and demons were out of his league. He couldn't get it out of his head. What was going on? Khushrenada wasn't the only one interested in the paranormal. What kind of ritual had he been performing? Had he been vulnerable because of the rift in the villa?

No, this wasn't his problem, Heero told himself. He was only hired to do some research, to discover who or what was targeting Winner's property. Khushrenada had fallen victim because he dabbled with powers he didn't understand. He was collateral damage.

Heero felt vulnerable all of the sudden. He wanted to know how Duo was doing and tried to call him, hanging up before the voicemail message was finished. The American was hard at work to retrieve Khushrenada's soul.

Heero turned around once more and rolled himself into his warm and heavy blankets. Besides feeling vulnerable, he also felt cold.

* * *

The office was empty so early in the morning, apart from Harriet; he wondered if his secretary had a hidden bedroom somewhere in the building. She looked at him over the rim of her glasses and brought him his standard, black coffee. Tilting her head slightly, she looked at him.

"Mister Yuy, are you all right?"

"I'm fine," he snapped. "Any calls from Mister Maxwell?"

"You would've known, since it's my job to patch him through," Harriet snipped in return, offended.

She left his office and closed the door louder than necessary. He didn't pay any attention, not to her, not to the stack of paperwork on his desk.

Heero laced his fingers together. Strangely enough, it was bothering him that Trowa Barton had been absent yesterday. Heero hadn't forgotten the strange look Trowa and Duo had exchanged at the party, and that the usually stoic business associate had been shocked. Even if it had been his evening off, wouldn't he immediately drop everything when his boss called him, obviously in panic? And why had Quatre of all people received a call for help from Khushrenada's staff?

Heero started to drum on his desk. He didn't like it that there was nothing to be found on Barton. Everyone left their mark, a paper trail: family, friends, schools, previous jobs. Duo, Wufei, Trowa… All three of them hadn't left any imprint on this world. Duo hadn't mentioned a thing about his childhood. Wufei didn't look like he was raised conventionally. Trowa had no past until he started to work for Winner Enterprises. How could three people slip through the maze like that? It bothered him.

No calls from any of the spirit hunters, and Heero focused on his other cases. After lunch, he checked a gossip website and quickly discovered what Khushrenada's PR machine had been up to: according to the press release, the actor had checked into a private resort to combat fatigue.

_Some fatigue… _

Heero was itching to call Duo again but decided against it. Instead, he ordered a bouquet of flowers for Harriet, apologizing for his earlier, gruff behavior. She was totally flustered with the nice gesture and assured him that she hadn't been offended at all, but he could see how she appreciated the flowers. Heero went home earlier than usual, but the thought of his empty apartment wasn't an exciting one.

The cup of instant ramen was cheap and overly salty compared to Duo's lavish cooking. Heero checked his cabinets and his pantry, but there was nothing in his sterile kitchen but instant soup or noodles, not even a vegetable or a fruit. He was used to eating out or having his dinner delivered at the office.

With a sigh, he tossed the cup into his trashcan and started leafing through a small stack of restaurant flyers. It didn't take long to place an order, and in the meantime, he took a quick shower.

He barely finished drying his unruly hair when he heard the knock on his door. Sure, delivery was fast, but this was extremely fast. Heero quickly put on his robe and grabbed his wallet as he went to the door. Another hard knock, and he called out: "Just a minute!"

He had only one bolt removed when the door was smashed out of its hinges. The wood snapped like a match, splinters flying through the air. Heero instinctively put up his arms to protect himself, dropping his wallet to the floor. A dark figure approached him rapidly, pushing him back into the hallway. He had no chance to defend himself, let alone to attack: the blow to his face made him stagger backwards, into the wall, the side table pressing into his lower back. Grunting, Heero moved to lash out with his right arm, but his blow was easily deflected. He received another punch, to his jaw this time, and everything went dark.

He opened his eyes, groaning. A repetitive sound echoed in his head, and he didn't recognize it. Again, the sound was audible, like massive church bells ringing inside his head - ringing. _Ringing. _It was his cell phone, and Heero could see it on the floor, despite his double vision.

His head was pounding, the pain almost too much to bear. His body refused to obey him when he tried to get up; every bone felt like lead, every muscle pulled him down, and he couldn't move. _Get up,_ he told himself. _Get up! _He simply couldn't. The phone kept ringing. It was dark; he could only see the display of his darn phone. What time was it?

The phone went silent. Heero heaved a sigh. Very slowly, the memories came back. Food delivery. A knock on the door. Someone punching him in the face. He could barely feel the lower part of his face, and it dawned to him that his jaw might be broken.

Anger welled up in him. He had practiced martial arts for sports for the majority of his life, and he had reached a high _dan_ before he had to drop out due to his busy life. His practice of the martial arts might be rusty, but it was still there. He should've been able to defend himself..!

The anger fueled him. Heero forced himself to get up. Slowly but surely, he was able to move his legs, and he turned himself around on his stomach, so he could use his knees and elbows to get up on all fours. As soon as he started to get up, the entire world spun around him. Heero groaned and stretched his arms, catching the wall. He stood there for hours, or so it seemed, just to hold his balance. Every time he let go of the wall, everything started to spin again. It had to be a concussion…

Where was his phone again? He had to call for help…

Finally Heero let go of the wall and managed to walk into his living room like a drunk man, swaying from left to right, flailing with his arms. He made it to the sofa, collapsing on top of it, and this time he welcomed the darkness with a smile.

* * *

Blessed, comfortable silence. When he woke up for the second time, a pleasant light surrounded him, not darkness. Light and silence, and everything around him was a pure, bright white.

This wasn't his bedroom. Where was he? The only sound he heard was a beeping noise. He felt extremely comfortable, and no one was attacking him here. His mind at peace, Heero drifted in and out of consciousness until he noticed someone standing close to him. His eyes flew open and he gasped.

"You're awake," the nurse said dryly. "Good. Your vitals are okay, too."

"Vitals?"

"What do you remember?" She continued checking him, her eyes sharp on his face.

"I was attacked in my own apartment."

"Good. You have a pretty hard head. We feared your skull was cracked, but all you got is a minor concussion. You'll have to take it easy for awhile." She scribbled something on his chart. "The doctor will visit you in the afternoon. He'll probably want to keep you a night longer for observation. Now that you're awake, I'll get you something to eat."

"Thank you." Heero leaned back into the pillows. Yes, he could remember everything again. How long had he been in the hospital? What date was it? Another nurse returned with a tray and served him a sandwich. He ate without really tasting the food, and his mind went to Duo. Where was the American? Where was his cell phone? His clothes? How was he going to get home?

"I'll take care of that," a female voice replied, startling him. Heero had voiced his thoughts out loud, and Relena had overheard him. She looked worried, troubled, and a lot older than she was supposed to be. He almost dropped the remnants of his sandwich.

"Relena," he said.

"I was so worried!" She closed the distance between them and gave him a brief, but firm hug. "Duo Maxwell found you, and after calling the ambulance, he called me. I didn't know you had me on speed dial, Heero."

He shrugged awkwardly. "I don't have any family in case of emergency…"

"I know," she shushed him and shook her head. "You look awful," her voice was filled with sadness, "like someone has grabbed your head and smacked it against a concrete wall. Who would do such a thing?"

"I don't know," Heero said, wishing he had a mirror… and at the same time, he wished he didn't. He could make a pretty good mental picture of what he looked like.

"The strange thing is," Relena hesitated to continue, "whoever did this to you searched your apartment. When Duo called me, I went to your home first to grab so you some stuff-" she pointed to a small table, with a pile of clothes and some toiletries on it, "-and everything had been torn apart."

"My furniture?" Heero asked, incredulous.

"Everything was put upside down and taken inside out. Someone has been looking for something."

"That's incredibly weird." Heero tried to think, but coherent thinking was nearly impossible at the moment. Relena patted him on the hand.

"Tell me more about this Duo Maxwell," she said lightly, to take the conversation into a more upbeat mood. "A friend of yours?"

"We're working together on the Winner case," Heero blurted out. "He's an expert."

"An expert in what?" Relena winked at him. "And do all experts make house calls?"

"I had left a message on his voicemail," Heero said, "I didn't expect him to visit me at home." _And when he did, he saw me at my weakest. Great going, Heero Yuy. _

She tapped him lightly on the nose. "An expert in what, Heero?"

"Confidential," he grunted in return. As always, Relena didn't pry any further. Instead, she started talking about the doctor and agreeing that another night in the hospital for observation would be the best for him. Heero protested, but Relena could be extremely adamant when she put her mind to something, so he had no choice but to spend another night in a hospital bed.


	5. Chapter 5

Heero had just put the last of his toiletries into a plastic bag when a short ruffle on the door to his room made him look up. Duo Maxwell was standing against the doorpost, casually, his braid dangling behind him.

"Ouch," he said when he saw Heero's face. Earlier that morning, Heero had caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror - fortunately a glimpse only, because what he saw of the huge black and blue bruises on his face was enough to scare himself. He looked like he had walked into three doors at the same time at light speed. "I hope you don't have a courtroom date anytime soon, because they will mistake you for the perpetrator instead of the lawyer."

"I'll have to ask Harriet," Heero answered.

"Harriet?"

"My secretary. I'm sure she has rescheduled every meeting, but that means I have to work double as hard as to catch up."

"Your secretary sounds harsh."

"She's strict, but fair." Heero had to grin.

"Did the doctor say anything?"

"Nothing much. I have to take it easy. And in case of sudden headaches, blurred vision or fainting, I'm to report back ASAP."

"True that. The coward punched you right in the face. He could've broken your nose or your eye socket, or clobbered you straight into a brain injury."

"My, aren't you the positive one."

"Want some breakfast?" Duo asked. "My treat."

Heero had had breakfast already, but the hospital food had little taste to it. "Yes, breakfast would be nice."

"All right, let's go." Duo waited until Heero had packed all his belongings and left the hospital room with him.

* * *

The restaurant of Duo's choice wasn't as classy or exclusive as the ones Heero went to with Relena. It didn't really matter - he was hungry - and the portion sizes were large enough to satisfy his and Duo's appetite. Heero heard Duo's order for hash browns, pancakes, scrambled eggs and a few muffins, along with a jug of milk and one of orange juice, and decided to go along and order more than just a slice of toast with one egg, sunny side up.

Duo looked tired, his vibrant violet eyes a little dull. Heero had to remind himself that the early morning was the end of Duo's workday, instead of the beginning.

"This must be pretty weird for you," Heero said.

"Nah, it's not that bad." Duo made a dismissive gesture. "I always take a good, large breakfast before I go to bed. I have to replenish my energy, you know."

They waited until the waitress had brought and put every plate on the table, then Duo grabbed his napkin and eating utensils and all but beamed at Heero.

"It's time to dig in," Heero was quicker to say. Duo's grin turned wider.

"Don't mind if I do!"

Heero was surprised to see how fast he cleaned his plate, following Duo's pace, and to top breakfast off, they both ordered a large coffee with warm apple pie and whipped cream. He had to watch his calorie intake.

"That's the life!" Duo said as soon as the coffee and apple pie arrived.

"Rough night?"

"More like a frustrating night." Duo took the sugar and cream on the table to create his unique blend of coffee. Heero didn't bother to count the scoops of sugar and instead inhaled the delicious smell of warm apple pie, rich with cinnamon. He took a bite as Duo finished 'seasoning' his coffee.

"What happened?"

"We spend the entire night looking for it," Duo said, and Heero didn't need to ask what he meant by 'it'. "It shouldn't be this difficult. Wherever we looked, we couldn't find it. Things have… changed, and I don't like it. I don't like it at all. I think there's a boss behind this all and a pretty powerful one to boot."

Heero didn't like it either. "Is there something we can do?"

"Wufei is going to consult Master Long again," Duo said.

"Who is this Master Long?"

"He's like the Methuselah of spirit hunting and exorcism," Duo explained. "His vast knowledge and expertise is simply unheard of. We consult him because of all his experience and advice. There's just no ghost, entity or presence that he hasn't heard of. His library is legendary. Unfortunately, the man is old, and he hasn't written all of his knowledge down. So we have to be quick with our questions and sift through the answers he gives. He's starting to get… well, a little off."

"Alzheimer's?" Heero asked.

Duo nodded. "When the first signs started showing, we thought that a demon was leeching off of him, but this is something that happens to old people, a normal thing to happen." He almost laughed. "To think that there are still 'normal things'…"

"You see a lot of otherworldly phenomena," Heero said. "No wonder you're a little skeptic."

"It's such a waste." Duo sighed. "The man knows so much, yet we can't get the right answer out of him. Still, he's a treasure trove of knowledge, even if he's not always in his right mind. Compared to him, I'm just a toddler."

"Who's taking care of him?"

"Relatives of Wufei," Duo answered. "His community is very tight. Everyone takes care of one another, and Master Long is nothing short but a god to them. He's been taken care of very well."

"All right." Heero was busy with the last bite of his apple pie. "What's next?"

"I have a library of my own," Duo said. "I need to do some research myself. Usually we need to be fast, but in this case, I think we have to be extremely careful and prepare well ahead of time instead of jumping in head first."

"I rather have you be careful as well," Heero said. Duo's smile could've rivaled a Christmas tree.

"That's kind of you," Duo said. "But let's talk about you," he turned the topic around. "You were attacked in your own apartment. I should've called ahead of course, but I figured I might as well stop by. I thought you wouldn't be in bed at that time."

"And how come you would know something like that?" Heero asked. Duo grinned.

"Well, you're a hardworking lawyer. I expected you to be still up and looking over your files or preparing a case you're working on. I didn't think you'd be hanging out at a bar with all of your friends."

Heero wanted to protest, but he had to admit that Duo was right. He didn't have much of a social life.

"There's nothing wrong with working hard," he grumbled.

"I'm not disagreeing with you." Duo had finished all of his food and coffee and looked like a cat that just had eaten the fattest canary. "It was a good thing that I came by because I found you on the floor, unconscious, with blood all over your face. I called the ambulance and the first number on your cell." He looked a little embarrassed. "I hope I did the right thing. I'm sure your family and friends would like to know if you ended up in the hospital."

"You did the right thing," Heero nodded. "Relena is a good friend, and I'm glad you called her first."

He figured that Duo was curious as to why he didn't mention any parents, but Heero didn't want to talk about it. "I haven't thanked you for your effort yet," he continued. "Without you, I'd still be lying on the floor."

"Whoever surprised you, he's an asshole," Duo said, "punching you directly in the face like that. You didn't even have a chance to defend yourself!"

Heero brought up his hand to touch his cheek and jaw; the bruises were still very sensitive. The waitress had avoided to look at him. Perhaps Harriet should postpone any court room meeting for another month or so.

"That reminds me, Relena told me that my apartment had been torn apart."

"Pretty much. I'm sorry," Duo said. "Everything's been cut up. I hope you have a good insurance."

"I should check it out," he said. "And report it to the police."

"All right, but be warned: it's a huge mess." Duo stretched and hid a yawn behind his hand. "I'm off to my own bed, if Shini hasn't ruined it for me."

"You allow that creature to sleep in your bed?"

"Oh no, but once I'm away from home, he does whatever he wants to do, the sneaky bastard."

* * *

Despite both Relena and Duo warning him about the state of his apartment, it was still a shock to Heero when he opened the provisionally repaired door. Every piece of furniture was turned upside down, torn apart and cut up. Heero walked through the mess, carefully avoiding glass and splinters. He was glad his library of expensive law books was at his office, but he got upset at seeing his collection of rare Japanese book editions completely torn apart. What would anyone think to find in a book? Even his kitchen was a mess, and he decided not to enter as the floor was covered with shards of glass and porcelain. It was going to take a professional cleaning company to take care of this, he had no energy to do this all by himself. Heero went to his bedroom and let out an annoyed grunt when he saw that his mattress had been cut up, along with his bed linen, torn like sheets of paper. For a minute, he was completely overwhelmed; what was he supposed to do now? His smart phone rang and he took it out of his pocket to answer it.

"I heard that you left the hospital," Relena's familiar voice, "and I think it's better if you come to stay with us for a few days, Heero. Your apartment isn't the right place to be right now."

He wanted to decline at first, but one look at his torn bed told him that he didn't even had a place to sleep anymore. Besides, when he didn't answer quickly enough to Relena's liking, she told him to be ready when she got there, because she was already on her way.

* * *

"What is this world coming to," Relena exclaimed dramatically as she drove through the streets of New Port City. She had a personal chauffeur, Pargan, but she didn't like to call upon her staff all the time. "Attacking one in one's home, destroying other people's property…"

"Well, if it didn't happen, we'd be out of work," Heero answered dryly. Relena shook her head, not laughing at the small joke.

"It always hurts the most when it happens to people close to you," she said. "When people are… just people, files, case numbers, I can deal with it just fine. But to see it happen so close…"

"I'm okay, Relena," he assured her. "It happened. It happened, and that's it."

"You have to buy new furniture," she said, her tone lightly again. "And new kitchen utensils and new bed sheets. And don't think of going back to work so soon."

"But..!"

"I'll have Harriet bring you your files so you can read up on them, but no work at the office for you. You're simply not up to work right now."

"I'll be the judge…"

"No, you won't." Relena's tone of voice didn't leave much room for protest. "I had Anna prepare the guest room, and you're going to take it easy for the next couple of days. You need some time to recover; you've been working too hard anyway." When he didn't respond, she continued: "You can invite that handsome Mister Maxwell over anytime."

He almost choked and tried to hide it by coughing. "Say what?"

"You heard me. He's a good-looking, kind person. He was worried about you and didn't leave until he was sure you were taken to the hospital. You really have to tell me more about him, Heero."

"Which reminds me," he said quickly, "he's tied to the Winner case. Confidentiality and all that…" She threw him a glare. "Talking about Winner..?"

"Trowa Barton called to your office and spoke to Harriet," Relena said. "Not an hour later, Quatre Winner himself called, all worried about you. He said he would send you an e-mail."

"My laptop… I left it at the office. It's the only thing that escaped destruction, I guess."

"I'll get it for you," Relena promised. "But for now, you're going to bed."

* * *

Heero had never been in this wing of the Peacecraft mansion before. He was impressed by Relena's and Mark's good, distinctive taste, without resorting to tacky or overwhelmingly decadent furniture, like the Khushrenada villa had.

The guestroom had an adjacent bathroom, and Heero allowed himself the luxury of a bubble bath instead of a quick shower. He couldn't resist taking a look at himself in the mirror; the bruises had colored into a distinctive purple. It made him angry. He would love to give his attacker some punches of his own..!

Heero lowered himself into the water and his stiff muscles relaxed. Inhaling the calming scent of lavender, he closed his eyes, and his thoughts drifted off. He had to let it go. Despite not having a headache, he had difficulties processing information right now, as if his brain was quickly overflowing.

Relena was right: no matter how much he denied it, he had to take it easy. It just didn't sit well with him to 'take it easy'. He was raised to work hard, never complain, and never give up. This was a temporary setback, and he had to give in to the fact that one didn't immediately go on happily after receiving such hard blows to the face. He couldn't change what had happened, and he had better focus on other, more mundane things - like calling his insurance company. He had to file a police report, and there was an apartment to clean.

Heero snorted. The culprit had even sliced his mattress to bits. What had he tried to accomplish? Another thought struck him out of nowhere. His apartment building had a doorman. Heero didn't know him personally, but he knew the elderly man took his work seriously. He was supposed to announce any visitor, even a delivery man.

Heero frowned. Another thing to investigate. He tried to relax again, but his thoughts kept turning around in circles. If he continued like this, a headache would definitely come up. He'd been soaking in the water long enough now, and the king-size bed in the guestroom certainly looked inviting.

His thoughts wandered off to Duo. The American was just as hard to understand as the ghosts and spirits he worked with. Duo was handsome yes, and he had a good, kind heart and could be serious when he needed to be. Heero pondered. If there was going to be a relationship, Duo's work was going to be a roadblock. What kind of life were they going to lead if one worked days and one worked nights - and endangered his life dealing with dark entities and creatures? He had to smirk. Here he was, soaking in a hot bath, thinking about a relationship that didn't even exist yet. He better got himself into his bed; that was much safer ground.

Relena had held true to her word and brought Heero his laptop. It was waiting for him on the Louis XV desk as he emerged from the bathroom. He turned it on and while it was booting, he changed into a comfy pair of sweat pants and a shirt. Heero checked his mail and cringed at all the inquiries waiting for him. He could see a mountain of work rising up in front of him, and he hoped that Zechs Merquise, Relena's stepbrother and also a partner at the office, could handle his caseload along with his own.

Heero was planning to return to the office as soon as possible anyway. He didn't like to not be in control, and even though he trusted Zechs, he rather dealt with his cases in his own way.

Heero clicked on Quatre Winner's e-mail and read a general 'get well soon' message along with a lunch invitation for when he was feeling better. He answered most of the e-mails, send some instructions to Harriet, and browsed the Internet for new furniture. Feeling a little dissatisfied and grumpy, he decided to go to bed early. His head felt heavy.

He didn't know what awoke him. Heero opened his eyes, searching through the dark room. He shifted and carefully sat upright in the bed. Something… was off. A quick glance to his left told him it was 4 in the morning. Everybody should be asleep.

It felt like a different kind of silence. He wanted to laugh out loud. How many kinds of silence could there be?

Heero threw the blankets off of him and got out of bed. He put on his bathrobe and left the bedroom, ending up in the large, dark hallway. The only light was moonlight, shining through the large windows in the west wing; there was no one to see. For a moment, he thought he had been hallucinating, but then curiously he heard the sound of male voice, low, mumbling, talking quickly. He tried to locate the voice, going down the hallway like a thief in the night. It led him to a door to another guestroom, he assumed.

He was so close now that he could make out the words: "Not now, he might be able to hear us." Curiously, Heero leaned into the door. "Yes, yes, I'll make sure of it, don't worry."

It was impossible to identify the voice. It was a one-way conversation, perhaps on the phone. Who could be on the phone at this time of hour? Someone from the housekeeping staff? Mark, Relena's husband? Heero discarded the thought immediately. Leaning even closer, pressing his ear to the door, he tried to hear more.

"I know," the same mumbling, and then a few repetitive "yes", until everything went silent again. The faint glow from under the door suddenly disappeared, as if a light had been switched off. Heero held his breath, expecting the speaker to come out of the room, but nothing happened. After fifteen minutes of waiting, he returned to his own room, chilled to the bone, and filled with questions.

* * *

"How are you feeling?" Relena buttered her toast and helped herself to some jam.

"I slept like a baby." A small lie, but Heero didn't see the necessity to tell Relena about his… late night activity. He looked at the breakfast table for another slice of toast. It was set for two; Mark had a business brunch this morning, so he wouldn't join them. "I feel rested today."

"Good. However, I heard from a little birdie that you've been sending e-mails. Remember what I told you about taking it easy? Don't make me take your laptop away," she lectured him, albeit with a smile on her face. "If you really want to do something, I can bring you some of your files to read up on. Anything in particular?"

"I'm sure Harriet will know what to send me," Heero said. He trusted her judgment about what was important or not.

"All right, I'll check up on her to see if she has something for you." Relena sipped her tea. "I hope I'll be in time for dinner; Mark's supposed to be home tonight."

"How's his campaign going?"

Relena sipped her tea again and heaved a sigh. "Technically, it's going really well."

"And personally?"

"I'm not sure, Heero," she answered. "It takes so much to run for mayor, that I… fear the day he actually gets elected. I hardly see him, he doesn't have time for anything personal, only meetings, meetings, meetings and more meetings with business associates, campaign leaders… He was home so late yesterday that he could get to bed for only an hour, then he had to get up again."

"Was he home around four?" Heero didn't know Mark well enough to recognize his voice on the spot.

"I think so." Relena put her cup on its saucer and took a bite from her toast. "I woke up when he got into bed, and I asked him how his meeting was. He was so tired that he could barely answer."

"I see. Well, I never ambitioned a career in politics," Heero said.

"Mark is a good candidate. I know he'll make an excellent mayor. But his personal life… our personal life... is just gone. I don't want to become an extension of my husband."

"That will never happen." Heero shook his head. "You're too independent, Relena."

"I love to sit here and hear you compliment me all day," she said dryly, "but I have to run to be in time at the office. I'll see you later today, Heero."

As soon as Relena had left, Heero finished his breakfast and went back to the west wing of the mansion. He halted at the door where he had heard the mumbling noises and checked if there was no one in the hallway. He turned the handle and the door went open smoothly. Heero peeked inside and was disappointed to discover it was indeed another guest room.

He wandered into it, noticing the similarities between the furniture of his room and this one. There was no sign of anyone having spent time here, not in a while. The bed was neatly made, the wardrobe was empty, and the bathroom was clean, without any signs of use. Heero scratched the back of his head. He was sure he had heard the mumbling noises right here. He had no choice but to leave; it would be silly if one of the housekeeping staff caught him in the wrong bedroom.

* * *

Heero returned to the office the next day. He wanted to get back to work, feeling useless around the mansion, almost like a burden. Duo hadn't called him, so Heero left another voicemail to ask about an update.

Harriet pursed her lips at seeing Heero return so soon to the office, but she was wise enough not to comment. She avoided looking straight at his face, the bruises obviously visible, and brought him the files and records he asked for.

"You really received a good clobbering," Zechs said as he entered Heero's office. Relena's stepbrother was an attractive man whose charm in the courtroom often helped him to a victory - not that he needed his looks, he was a good lawyer.

"It was quite unpleasant, yes," Heero admitted. Zechs wanted to know if he filed a report with the police already and Heero told him about the paperwork.

"Do you have any idea who might be behind this?" As much as the man had charm, subtlety wasn't his best character trait. Heero shook his head.

"No, I don't know. Apparently, it was important enough to immediately punch my lights out."

"You'd almost think it was something personal." Zechs shook his head, mimicking Heero, sending long platinum blond strands flying. "How's the Ghostbusters case doing?"

"Fine," Heero said curtly. "It's going to have my full attention again from now on."

"Excellent. Winner was very concerned; his associate called the office daily to ask about your well-being."

"Barton?"

"Yeah, Trowa Barton. Nice guy, I guess. He was seriously concerned."

"I have a lunch invitation from Winner…"

"You do? Man, if you can get a position in Winner's personal team, you've got it made!"

"I don't want to leave this office," Heero answered stiffly. Zechs showed a devilish grin.

"That's mighty noble of you but unnecessary," he said. "Do you really think Relena believes you're going to be here forever? We're a nice law firm and all that, but if you get the chance to move ahead and grow, you should take it!"

"You talk like Winner already made me an offer!"

"Well, if he does, my advice is to take it."

"Thank you, Zechs," Heero said, slightly annoyed.

"I'll send you the bill later," Zechs quipped as he left the office, greeting Harriet as he passed her.

"Are you feeling all right? Shouldn't you go home and rest?"

"I can handle eight hours of work, Harriet."

"Eight," she repeated, and Heero knew he'd been caught. He usually worked ten to eleven hours a day. "So you're still not completely recovered. I thought as much. Oh, and did you hear about poor Mister Khushrenada?"

"Your favorite actor?" Heero cringed at playing dumb. Harriet nodded.

"Yes, the poor soul! He worked so hard that he exhausted himself, and now he's relaxing at a spa in Switzerland," Harriet said. Heero grimaced. Khushrenada's PR machine worked perfectly. "He even had to cancel his upcoming role in my favorite soap!"

Heero realized that it meant that Duo and Wufei still hadn't found Khushrenada's soul or the soul reaper. He was about to call Duo himself, when Harriet announced him over the phone. Heero grabbed the receiver from the cradle.

"Yes?"

"It's me," Duo said superfluously, his voice sounding upbeat. "I'm sorry, but I don't have any news for you at the moment. How are you doing, and why are you at your office?"

"Come on, it's not like I broke my nose or something," Heero said.

"I should've known you had to be tied down on your bed to get some rest. Quite an interesting image, though," Duo said. "But hey, you fit the stereotype of lawyer nicely, handsome looks and all. You got news?"

"No, nothing," Heero said without a second thought, until it registered that Duo had called him 'handsome'. He almost started to stutter. "I do have a lunch invitation from Quatre Winner."

"That's something," Duo said. "Mind if I join you?"

"I'm not sure if the invitation includes you," Heero said.

"I don't think he'll mind much," Duo answered. "I worked with him before, you know. Cleaning up the mess in his properties and stuff."

"And he wouldn't mind much why?"

"Because people like me," Duo deadpanned. "Just set a date for the lunch, Heero, and we can catch up while pigging out on delicious pretentious food."


	6. Chapter 6

The fancy restaurant was luxuriously furnished, and every item on the menu was in French, followed by an extravagant description of the dish. No hash browns, Heero mused, that was way too common for this haute cuisine. Quatre or Duo hadn't arrived yet.

Heero was looking forward to see the American again. In fact, he had been thinking about Duo more than anyone or anything else. A sudden hand on his shoulder startled him.

"Sorry, I should've seen that you were brooding." Duo looked at Heero's face. "You're healing up pretty nicely."

"I'm young, I recover quickly."

Duo nodded. "Still, it was a heck of a punch."

"I know. If I ever get my hands on the one who did it…"

"Remind me to never be at the receiving end of your wrath," Duo said. He sat down and stretched, flipping his braid over his shoulder. He was about to say something when Quatre arrived, accompanied by his business associate. This time, Heero kept a close eye on how Trowa and Duo responded to each other; apparently, Trowa wasn't very happy to see Duo, and the feeling was mutual.

"It's good to see you, Heero," Quatre said, ignoring the waiter hovering around him. "I see you're recovering well. Did your insurance give you any trouble?"

"It's just furniture," Heero said, "I was more upset at my book collection being destroyed."

The waiter was standing close enough to overhear and Quatre send him away after ordering the lunch specials, coffee and tea. Quatre lowered his voice as he addressed Heero again.

"Do you think it has anything to do with… you know, the case?"

"It could be," Duo answered. His eyes went to Trowa, then back to Quatre. "I didn't sense an entity in Khushrenada's bedroom when we found him, but spirits and demons can be cunning. Has anything weird happened lately, Mister Winner?"

"To me? No, not at all," Quatre said. He smiled brightly. "I must say, I've never slept better in my life. I used to be tired every day, but now I go to bed with a smile, and I sleep the sleep of innocents."

"Nothing from your personnel? Your staff?" Duo turned towards Trowa. "What about you, Mister Barton?"

"What about me?"

"Anything haunting you lately?" Duo elaborated.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Trowa went silent as the waiter returned with their lunch.

"Bad dreams, nightmares, something negative in particular," Duo continued mercilessly. Trowa picked up his fork, holding it as if he was about to stab Duo. "I can assure you, Mister Maxwell, I don't have bad dreams or nightmares, and there's nothing negative in my life." "That's just peachy." Duo had the good manners not to express his disappointment at the salad in front of him, and speared a shrimp with his fork.

No 'bad things' were mentioned during the lunch; more so, the mood turned amicably, and when everyone was done eating, tea and coffee was served. Nobody was surprised at Duo ladling sugar into his hot drink.

Quatre cradled a cup of tea to his chest and started the topic that everyone had painstakingly avoided. "Treize Khushrenada is in the best of care, physically," he said. "I have managed to get him into a private clinic where the tabloids won't be able to find him. He's still in a vegetative state, and without… well, you know… I'm not sure if he'll ever return to the land of the living."

"We've been searching for him," Duo said. "It's not easy and with every passing day, it gets harder and harder to find him. And even if we do find him, there's no telling in what state he'll be in."

"What state?" Heero asked.

"I told you that human energy…" Duo lowered his voice, "is often used by a demon to parasite on. Its energy is a great source for demon life, and its use is harmful to the soul... corrupts it, corrodes it. So when we return his soul, Khushrenada might very well not be the same man."

"That's awful." Heero shuddered.

"Did you manage to find something? Anything?"

"A lot of disturbance." Duo looked grim. "Something is brewing there, and I have the feeling a boss is at work." He briefly glared at Trowa, before continuing. "I expect to hear from Wufei any moment now. He went to talk to Master Long and hopefully he has some good news for us."

* * *

Heero unlocked the door of his car when Duo caught up to him. Quatre and Trowa had already left with the company car, after encouraging Duo to keep looking and Heero to continue his research. Heero turned around to look directly into Duo's eyes.

"What do you know of Trowa Barton?" Duo asked.

"I don't know anything about him at all. I tried to do some research on him, but either he's clean as a whistle or he… didn't come into existence until a few years prior."

"It's not Trowa Barton. I mean, he's not Trowa," Duo said. He looked a little annoyed. "I noticed something dark about him the first time I met him, at the charity ball."

"If I recall correctly, he wasn't very happy to meet you then, and he wasn't very happy to meet you now."

"Sharp eyes," Duo whistled. "Pretty eyes with a sharp sight."

"What do you mean with 'he's not Trowa'?" Heero asked quickly, to avoid spending too much thought on what Duo had just said.

"He's Trowa Barton, but his personality has been clouded. A dark entity is riding along with him, using his human energy, his soul."

"Just like Khushrenada?"

"Exactly. This is a boss, Heero. Trowa Barton is the boss of the _qullu'an_. I recognize that dark residue everywhere."

"You can't be serious…!"

"That's why he almost jumped out of his skin when he saw me. He knows who I am, and I know who he is."

"Then you are in danger," Heero said, taken aback.

"I can protect myself. If he wanted to do something to me, he could've done so already, ever since the event we met. I don't think I'm his target."

"You mean… Winner?"

"No, not Quatre," Duo said. "I think this boss is more interested in the people around Quatre. Imagine, Heero, the man's incredible social network, all his property, all his knowledge, all his influence. The only reason why this boss didn't attach itself to Quatre, is…"

"Is what?" Heero was morbidly fascinated.

"You wouldn't say it from a business man, but Quatre is innocent," Duo explained. "His heart is too pure, there's not a grain of evil inside of him. The boss couldn't attach itself to Quatre no matter how hard he tried, it's like trying to keep your balance on a microdot. His second choice was the person closest to Quatre: Trowa."

"Why could he attach himself to Barton?"

"I don't know." Duo shrugged, but the casual gesture belied the seriousness in his voice. "No one goes through life without hardships and periods of darkness or depression. Trowa has a few skeletons in his closet, or he's been through trials that left scars on his soul. We all have our trials in life, Heero - and maybe the boss grabbed him in one of his weaker moments. Dark spirits are extremely manipulative."

Heero hesitated. He wanted to get the hell out of here, yet he didn't want to leave Duo.

"Are you going home?" Duo asked.

"I'm staying with a friend at the moment. At Relena's. I haven't bothered to return to my apartment."

"If you want to, I can help you clean up," Duo said. "We call a few burly men to get rid of all the crap, we clean up and then go shopping for furniture." He winked at Heero.

"That might be," Heero said, thrown off guard and trying to hide behind the car door, "but first I'm going to get something real to eat. Baby lettuce isn't my idea of a lunch."

"Why don't you offer me a ride," Duo said. "To my apartment. I'll cook you some noodles."

"All right, get in, then. Don't you have a car?"

"I have one, but it doesn't always do what I want."

"Let me guess, it's possessed too?"

"Nah. I think it still thinks it's in the 1800's."

* * *

Shinigami had rolled up into a ball on the couch, snoring like a jackhammer. Heero ignored the creature, but he was sure the dragoyle had spotted him, though the only acknowledgement of that he got was just a lazy flicker of a red eye. He followed Duo into the cozy kitchen and watched as the other pulled pots and pans from everywhere, including boxes and bowls of food from the refrigerator.

"One more question," Heero said.

"Ask and ye shall be given the answer."

"Why do you keep calling that… whatever is possessing Barton a 'boss'? You told me before that there's some hierarchy and structure in the otherworld, but still…"

Duo waited to give an answer until he had rearranged the bowls on the kitchen counter top to his liking.

"There is no way that a spiritual entity weaker than a 'boss' could possess someone like Trowa Barton," he finally said. "It takes a strong entity to stay in this world without support of the otherworld and latch on a human being to boot. So that's why I call them a boss, and I'll keep calling them that until they introduce themselves to me. Bosses are entities sentient enough to name themselves."

Heero couldn't help but groan. "This is getting really personal," he said. "How much is left of Trowa Barton, and how much is the boss?"

"It's hard to say, exactly. Some people are consciously working together with a boss, to gain whatever they're set out on gaining. It can be something petty, like anger, or jealousy. In Trowa's case, I think he might be blackmailed, as in 'cooperate if you don't want Quatre Winner to get hurt', or something like that. I can't imagine him willingly submitting to a dark entity."

"We don't know him that well," Heero objected.

"True. But with some people, you just _know_. Like with you: I'm certain you wouldn't succumb to any dark entity, no matter how much they'd try to manipulate you."

"Last question before we start eating," Heero quickly moved away from that topic. "If there's a boss attached to Barton, how long is it going to take to affect his soul? You mentioned corrupting and corroding during lunch…"

"Ah, you paid more attention than I thought. I know this hasn't been going on for long; Trowa doesn't show any sign of long possession. He might be strong enough to last for years, depending on what kind of boss is sucking on him, but it'll leave its effect, sooner or later. And now I have a question for you."

"For me?" Heero noticed that Duo had stopped unpacking all the bowls and boxes from the fridge, and he hadn't turned on the stove yet. "What would you like to ask?"

"Why are you switching to another question or topic when I say something personal? When I say something about you?" Duo looked at him, his violet eyes open and trusting. Heero didn't blush, even though it felt like his face was on fire.

"I'm not used to personal things," he blurted out.

"I see. Such a pity." Duo tilted his head. "I've made you several compliments, and I've dropped a few hints. I know you know, and I know you've noticed them. So what's holding you back? That I'm a spirit hunter running around in demon worlds and strange stuff, instead of holding a respectable job?"

"No," Heero shook his head, "it's… Well, it's a little because of the job, because it's strange, yes, but… well… I…"

He forced himself to look at Duo, and the guilt hit him hard. Duo had been nothing but kind and generous to him, open and honest… and he was already acknowledging that someone interested in him was rejecting him because of the work he did.

It dawned to Heero that Duo had to be familiar with the situation. How many rejections had he received because of his involvement with the supernatural?

Heero felt like he had punched Duo. His own stupidity was driving the other away before their relationship even had the chance to bloom… and he didn't want to be without Duo anymore, not for another day in his life.

"I understand," Duo said and turned around, his hands moving to the pots and pans on the countertop. Heero stepped forward, wrapped his arms around Duo and pulled him towards him, immediately searching out bare skin to kiss him: on the neck.

Duo tilted his head, a wide smile spreading on his face. Heero turned him around and took advantage of his lips, pursed towards him, and kissed him like he never kissed before, his hands on the temples of Duo's head, pulling the other closer.

"Now that's the kind of answer I like to receive," Duo said, mumbling against Heero's lips.

"I'm sorry," Heero said. "You'll find I'm not good at personal stuff."

"I'll do the personal stuff," Duo nodded, "you can do my taxes, and we'll call it even."

They kissed again. A loud snort came from the living room, but they both ignored it.

"Isn't this a conflict of interest?" Duo asked softly. "I mean, this case, you and me…"

"I'm hired to investigate the paranormal activity on Winner's property," Heero said, "and any external resources are of no influence on the case."

"In that case…" Duo snickered. Another kiss, and this time they both jumped apart when a purple-red flurry of scales and wings wrestled itself in-between them. "Shini!"

The dragoyle perched itself on Duo's right shoulder and narrowed its red eyes at Heero.

"He hasn't had any meat yet," Duo said. "Why don't you make yourself comfortable, Heero, while I make something to eat?"

Heero death-glared at the dragoyle, who tilted his head just like Duo. If the creature could smirk, it had the most annoying, smuggest smirk Heero had ever seen in his lifetime.

* * *

Duo's chestnut braid was on Heero's bare chest, and he absent-mindedly played with the tuft, his fingers stroking the thick strands. Duo's head was on his chest, his body all snuggled up against his, a sheet covering him just barely. He had dozed off, his breathing was even, his chest heaving in a steady, healthy rhythm.

It gave Heero some time to think back on what they had just done. Well, instead of preparing lunch they had ended up in bed, after… ah, defiling the couch first. How had they ended up in the bed? Heero could only recall that it went from kissing to ass-grabbing, and then Duo had pushed him against the wall, ripping the buttons from his shirt, and Heero had pushed Duo in return, forcing him to step back as he ravaged his mouth, neck and throat, and while they dropped garments - ripped or not - here and there, somehow Duo had managed to pull him into the bedroom.

Heero moved his hand up, caressing a few wayward strands. Duo was beautiful, strong, proud, and had no issues with his body; he was confident, and he had complete trust in Heero, the way he had offered himself to him, allowing the other to take his body, both rolling together on the bed, kissing, hugging, fucking.

Heero looked to his right, at the alarm clock. He couldn't even get himself to care that it was almost dinnertime and his stomach was faintly grumbling. They had spent the entire afternoon in bed, enjoying and exploring each other's body, and it felt so good, like there was a connection between them, so deep and so profound… and he never wanted to break it.

What bliss, and he wasn't even thinking of work. He should check his smart phone though, maybe Harriet had tried to call him...

Duo shifted a little, making a happy, satisfied 'mmm' sound. Heero continued to toy with his hair.

"I didn't know you were awake."

"I don't want to be awake," Duo said. "I'm totally content lying here. I don't ever want to leave this bed."

"You have to, sometime," Heero teased him.

"Can't you carry me around?"

"If you ask me nicely…"

"Don't ruin the mood." Duo tilted his head and looked at Heero, a happy grin on his face. "I need very much TLC, as you'll notice."

"I think your manual is a pretty extended one. I don't require such intense maintenance."

"All you need is food and a fuck?"

"Language, Mister Maxwell…"

"Now you sound like the Sister."

"Sister?"

"Sister Helen. I was raised in a church."

"A church? You never told me that before."

"It doesn't matter."

It came out defensively, and Heero let it rest. His curiosity wasn't important enough to ruin this wonderful mood by pressing a topic that Duo didn't want to talk about. He was feeling energetic from the physical exercise, and the release had relieved a lot of his tension, subconsciously built up after everything that had happened. He felt perfectly at peace now, and he moved his arm around Duo, protectively. It was so peaceful, not even Shinigami had made itself heard.

"What are you thinking right now?" Duo's voice was soft.

"I'm thinking that I'm a pretty lucky guy," Heero said. "I'm thinking that I love you."

"That's nice to hear." Duo pressed his lips to Heero's bare chest. "I love you too."

"When did you know?"

"Immediately the first time I saw you." A wicked smile colored his face. "Yes, I believe in love at first sight. Even though it was more like 'lust at first sight'. I saw you, and I thought to myself 'hot damn, I never knew lawyers could look this good!'"

"That had to be when you cleansed Hilde Schbeiker's house," Heero recalled. "Back then? Already?"

"That's right. You didn't have any eyes for me though; you were too busy ogling your paperwork. I was impressed. You weren't intimidated by Quatre's army of lawyer-bullies."

"Well, you know, young and moronic," Heero said. "I'm glad I got to know Winner on a personal level, not as the businessman. He's a good guy."

"He has to surround himself with bodyguards and lawyers to make sure no one is abusing him," Duo sighed. "Quatre _is_ a good guy, and I don't like it that a demon-boss is so close to him."

"Right." Heero turned his head to kiss Duo on his brow. "So even though I was as cruel as to not have any eyes for you, you had eyes for me?"

"Oh yes, but like I said, you were too busy. I know the subject of the supernatural isn't really popular. I did appreciate it that you weren't laughing in my face or mocking me."

"I guess that your… activities have stood between relationships?"

"You bet." A slight bitterness was audible in Duo's voice. "At first it's all exciting and new, and wow, dangerous and _oooh_ and _aaah_ - but soon enough it's 'bullshit' and 'you're really making things up, aren't you?' My work is important. I'm never going to get stuck in an office job."

"Glad to know," Heero said. "And when my secretary retires? Would you take her place?"

"You're kidding, right?" Duo grazed with his teeth across Heero's skin and he hissed. "Don't try to cage me, Heero Yuy, or you'll release a demon."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry."

"I know that my line of work isn't the easiest one, and I know that a lot of people don't believe it or think I'm a freak or attention whore. But it's important to me, and I wouldn't want to do something else."

"I know. Don't worry, I would never force you into giving up your work. I'll tell you, though, that I don't like it all that much. You're going out all on your own at night, dealing with entities that can be extremely dangerous."

"I do a lot of things during the day," Duo said. "Rituals, cleansing. But if I want or need to visit the otherworld, then I have to be there at night, yes." He waited for a moment. "I can take care of myself. And I always have Shinigami with me."

"Will you tell me his story one day?"

"I will. What do you say, should I make some din…"

A phone rang. Heero grunted. It wasn't his ring tone. Duo rolled out of bed, and Heero mourned the loss of his touch and warmth. He followed his example and grabbed himself a shirt to cover himself up. It was one of Duo's, a little tight around the chest and barely covering up his backside. Heero traipsed through the hallway, finding Duo next to a wooden side table with an old-fashioned rotary telephone.

"All right, see you soon," Duo said as he hung up. He saw Heero in his shirt and grinned cheekily.

"Who was that?"

"Wufei. He's coming over, and if I know him, and I do, he's going to be here in less than five minutes. I'd love to peel you out of my shirt and drive you crazy, but we have to get cleaned up and dressed."

"Why didn't you tell him to get lost?" Heero whined.

"Because he has news," Duo tapped on his nose, "and I'm sure you want to hear it as well."

* * *

The doorbell rang far too soon to Heero's liking, but they had managed to clean up and get dressed, with Duo wearing Heero's shirt and Heero wearing one of Duo's, still tight around the chest, but this one matched better with his slacks. Shinigami flew around, flapping its wings like crazy, making cackling sounds before seeking refuge in the kitchen, where Duo was about to get started on cooking.

"I'll get it," Heero said and opened the door to Wufei, who didn't look surprised at all to see him.

"Yuy," he merely acknowledged Heero and went directly to the kitchen. Duo had turned on the stove, and stirred in three pans simultaneously.

"Want some dinner too, Wufei?"

"Yes, please," he said as Shinigami flew towards him and perched on his left shoulder, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Wufei even petted the creature! Heero frowned.

"How come it's much more comfortable around you?" he asked.

"Because I know how to deal with otherworldly creatures," Wufei said. "Or he just might hate your ass."

"Nice to know..."

"Now, don't fight, boys. Why don't you set the table? You know your way around!"

Both Heero and Wufei grumbled, but obediently, they got to work. Heero was amazed at how well Wufei knew his way around Duo's apartment; he knew where to get the dinnerware and the tablecloth, setting the table in less than five minutes with his usual efficiency.

Duo brought in his beef casserole with lots of potatoes and fresh vegetables, and a salad to go with it. He handed Heero and Wufei chopsticks, and used knife and fork himself. Shinigami went under the table, gobbling its daily portion of meat.

"So what's the news you've got for us?" Heero asked after the first bite, ignoring that he was referring to himself and Duo as 'us'. Wufei dabbed with a napkin at his lips.

"Master Long passed away," was all he said.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Heero offered his sympathies. Duo heaved a deep sigh.

"That's bad," he said, staring at his plate. "What's going to happen now?"

"He wants us to have his library," Wufei said. "A master collection of scrolls, inscriptions and books, comprising all his knowledge on the otherworld," he elaborated for Heero, "a treasure trove of knowledge on demons, _gwynnfyrs_, bosses and all those who use the darkness to manifest themselves."

"Amazing." Heero didn't know what else to say.

"It is a gift from the gods," Wufei said, but he didn't sound too happy. Heero understood that he preferred the Master to still be alive. "We will discuss the library later, Maxwell. Before he died, Master Long said something about the soul reapers."

"Soul reaper_s_? There are more at work?"

"More than you or I like to think of." Wufei stabbed the casserole with his chopsticks. "The Master was sensing a cumulative increase of negative energy in the otherworld. He also sensed the increase of soul reapers."

"Did he sense a boss?"

"Several. He did not know who they were." Wufei frowned. "Something is brewing big time in the otherworld, and it was worrying him. I am afraid we are going to have a difficult fight on our hands, Maxwell."

"I think that Khushrenada's villa is the focus point of all of this," Duo said, folding his hands. He looked pensive and forgot to eat; his plate was still half full.

"We found the rift there," Wufei agreed. "Apparently, our efforts to patch it were not sufficient enough."

"I'm worried about how a boss could attach itself to Trowa Barton," Duo said. "It had to be around before we discovered the rift."

"It could have been summoned earlier by Khushrenada in his ignorance," Wufei snorted. "He dabbled in the 'dark arts', as he said so himself."

"Then the boss didn't deem him valuable or qualified enough to attach itself to."

"Instead, it chose another victim: Barton."

"But, if the boss was summoned by Khushrenada, ignorant or not, why would he send a soul reaper after him?" Heero tried to follow the conversation.

"To prevent him from talking or divulging something we aren't supposed to know."

"What are we going to do about this?"

"Either we grab Trowa and exorcise the boss out of his scrawny ass, or we spiritually bomb the Khushrenada villa and nuke them out of existence," Duo said grimly. Then he and Wufei looked at Heero's shocked face. "What?"


	7. Chapter 7

"I appreciate you could come over at such short notice, Mister Barton." Heero stood up from his chair to shake Trowa's hand. A shiver went down his spine when he touched him; Trowa's skin felt incredibly cold.

"You told me you had very important information about the case," Trowa said. His voice sounded neutral and calm, but Heero could almost smell the curiosity and impatience in the other man. "You said you couldn't send it by courier or tell me over the phone."

"I prefer to hand it to you in person," Heero said. "I know that you're the most trusted person in Mister Winner's immediate environment."

"I'll see to it that he gets it straight away." Trowa took the envelope from Heero's hand.

"Coffee or tea perhaps?" Heero said. "My secretary isn't around, but I know how to operate the machine."

Trowa didn't hesitate for a second. "No, thank you," he said. "I'll return to Mister Winner straight away. He's very concerned about the people involved in all of this."

"And so are you," Heero said.

"Excuse me?"

"Concerned," Heero said. "Aren't you?"

"But of course. We're talking about human lives here."

"Do you believe in otherworldly creatures, Mister Barton?"

"I've read Duo Maxwell's report on the Schbeiker case," Trowa answered. "He mentioned some kind of creature, but I don't believe in supernatural hocus-pocus. I have to see it with my own eyes before I'll believe it."

"Then you will see it with your own eyes," Heero said, and he didn't bat his eyes when Wufei emerged behind Trowa and knocked him out with the hilt of his katana. Before Trowa could express his surprise, he sank silently onto his knees to the floor. Wufei caught him quickly.

"All right, let us get to work," he said. "Get Maxwell here for the ritual."

Heero hurried to the room where Harriet parked any visitor to his office. Duo sat on the plush sofa with Shinigami on his right shoulder, as usual. Next to him was his big, black backpack.

"It's your turn," Heero said.

"All right." Duo got up and hurried after Heero to his office where Wufei had laid Trowa on the floor, arms neatly arranged besides his body. Heero was appalled to see Trowa lying like that; he looked dead.

"Hurry, I can sense the distress," Wufei said. He looked up at Heero. "What are you doing here? The demon will try to find another person to parasite on! Get out of here!"

"Move, Heero!" There was no tenderness in Duo's voice. Heero hesitated, not knowing if Duo needed any protection - but who was he kidding, who could protect Duo better than himself? Reluctantly, he left his office and closed the door, but kept watching through the glass panels.

Duo was setting up candles, and Wufei cut with his katana in the carpet, tracing the lines of Trowa's body. Shinigami flapped around the room, anxiously. Duo dug through his backpack and took out a small satchel filled with powder or herbs and sprinkled it over the unconscious Trowa. When he was done, Wufei finished cutting the carpet, and both took a step away from Trowa. Shinigami hovered in the air. Heero's eyes went wide when the creature's mouth went open. Shinigami blew a puff of fire, and the candles ignited, their flames high enough to reach the ceiling, revealing such an intense light that Heero had to shield his eyes. Trowa's body cringed and moved on its own, arching in a back-breaking position. Wufei held his katana straight in front of him.

"Introduce yourself!" He demanded.

Something appeared in the flames, a dark creature caught in the fire, squirming and screeching.

"Introduce yourself!" Wufei repeated. The katana reflected the intense heat and the creature screeched wildly and violently.

"Ky-loon-aung," it said. "Who are you?"

"You know who we are," Duo answered. He held his hands pressed together, as if praying. "You will be banned, and judgment will be passed on you."

"So it's you, Executioner, and you, Judge!" the creature spat its words. It didn't have any eyes, but Heero could've sworn it was staring directly at him. An amused cackle followed, met with silence from the two in the room. "Do you really think I'm ready to give him up? You're both crazy!"

"Blah blah blah," Duo said. "Do _you_ really think we haven't heard that before? You have nowhere to go to. You will be banished to Nothing."

Ky-loon-aung let out a stream of expletives that made Heero run shivers down his spine. It tried to lash out, and its screams pitched higher and higher, its words vulgar and crude as it noticed there was no flaw in the ritual Duo and Wufei had prepared.

The banishing became clear to the demon and it turned outrageously mad, crying and yelling and screeching, until Wufei raised his katana and sliced right through it. Shinigami scorched the separate pieces and the creature dissolved with the flames.

The dragoyle flew back to Duo's right shoulder, perched itself on top of it, and bumped its snout against Duo's cheek, as if wanting to say 'job well done'. Duo scratched it on top of its head.

"Well done, partner," he said. Then he made a signal to Heero that he could come in. Wufei didn't look up, as he was too busy inspecting his katana.

"Is it over?" Heero asked.

"No," Wufei said, as Duo said "Yes." They exchanged an annoyed glare.

"It's over in the sense of _this_ part is over," Duo said, pointing to Trowa. "When he comes around, he'll be himself again. The parasite is gone, and his soul is safe. He probably wasn't aware of it at all, so you have to come up with a good excuse why you had him knocked out in your office, Heero. As for the rest… what is going on… No, that's far from over."

"Too easy," Wufei muttered. "I expected it to try to re-attach, to either Barton or Yuy."

"To _me?_"

"I told you to run away," Wufei snarled. "Idiot! By standing so close, it could have tried to attach itself to you. Not many people can withstand a boss, unless you have a very strong heart and soul."

"I'm sure that Heero could've withstood anything the boss wanted to throw at him," Duo said sharply.

"What do you know about that? Do you know him that well already to know that he does not have any secrets? No skeletons in his closet? Or did you just fuck him to find out?"

An icy silence fell. "You're tired, Wufei," Duo said, his voice unearthly low and deep. It was eerie to hear absolutely no warmth in his voice. "Go home and get some rest."

"No. I have to care for the library, and do research on Ky-loon-aung. I have never heard of such a name before."

"You go straight home and you get your ass into bed, Chang Wufei," Duo said and it gave Heero a little bit of satisfaction to see the other flinch. On the other hand, Duo's voice was as chilly as a cold grave, and he almost flinched himself.

"Fine." Wufei strapped the katana to his shoulder, and without another word, he walked out of the office.

Duo calmly went to collect the candles, blew them out and carefully wrapped them in paper before storing them into his backpack.

"Are you the Executioner or the Judge?" Heero asked.

"Not now." Duo's voice didn't leave any room for discussion. Heero watched as he pulled the strings on his backpack. Shinigami was on his right shoulder, its head tucked between its wings, moving along with his master as if it was a statue. Trowa moved, if only a little. Duo got up and pecked Heero on the cheek.

"Take care of him," he said. "Come to my apartment when you're ready." He disappeared just as quickly as Wufei from the office.

Heero needed a moment to recover and grunted when he saw that not only he was left with an unconscious Trowa Barton, but also with a ruined, scorched and cut carpet. Harriet was going to kill him.

* * *

Quatre Winner wasn't pleased at all that his business associate had been attacked. Wufei's katana hilt had left a perfectly round bruise in Trowa's neck. Heero had brought the clearly confused Trowa to his apartment and helped him into bed. After he was sure the other was comfortable, Heero used Trowa's smart phone to call Quatre's personal number. He couldn't come up with any excuse for Trowa's situation, so he decided to tell Quatre the truth; and the next thing he knew, was that he was summoned, along with Duo, to Quatre's office the following morning.

Quatre's angelic blue eyes were clouded with anger. His fingers, holding onto the delicate tea cup, were trembling. The only one, who appeared to be relaxed in the large room, was Duo.

"Confusion and disorientation are a normal side-effect of being leeched off of for so long," Duo said, his voice vibrant. "He probably has a few gaps in his memory, not huge ones, but some things he won't recall or remember."

"How long is it going to take for him to recover?" Quatre's voice even trembled. Anger, Heero thought, was an emotion that didn't suit him well.

"A few days, a week tops. All he needs is fresh air and some extra rest."

"This isn't funny, Duo!"

"I'm not trying to be funny, Quatre." Unfortunately, Duo could jump from being serious to joking and back again without batting an eye. "I'm telling the truth. I apologized to you profusely, and I'll be more than happy to apologize to Trowa as soon as he's back on his feet again. If you want to, you can sue me; there's a lawyer present. Fact is, though, I saved his life and yours by default. I can't even start to think what the demon could've accomplished if he stayed in Trowa's body and mind for much longer; it was definitely out to do bad things."

Quatre looked a little pale and his grip on the teacup tightened.

"Who else can be targeted?" he asked, showing Duo and Heero that he had accepted the truth.

"I think anyone of the slightest importance in your social circle," Duo said. "Khushrenada was important, because he was easy to manipulate into performing a ritual. The rift in his house tells us more than enough: it's the current center of the breach between our world and the demon world. It's the focus point of _gwynnfyrs _and _qulu'anns_ crossing the border, and all the complaints, sickness and aggression, stems from there. We need to go back to the villa and finish it once and for all."

"I don't like the sound of this," Quatre said. "How come they choose me and used Trowa like this?"

"They found they couldn't manipulate you, so they decided to use the one closest to you instead." Duo ignored Quatre's faint blush. "They decided to keep you happy and warm, wrapped in a cozy blanket. You mentioned lately that you never have slept better. You're literally lulled to sleep, so you don't see what's going on. I have to see Trowa's work: his e-mail, his projects, everything he was involved with."

"That information is confidential!" Quatre gasped. "He worked on a lot of projects."

"I can assure you that I won't memorize any of it," Duo said. "However, it might be better if you combed through it. You know those projects, you notice immediately if something's wrong."

"All right," Quatre said, slightly relieved. "Though I'm sure I won't find anything suspicious. And what about the attack on Heero?"

"I think it was probably meant for me," Duo said. "A warning to tell me to fuck off, if you'll pardon my French. The war is on, now that we have discovered the rift. I have to find out who the master boss is or we're fucked."

Quatre shivered. "I really, really don't like the sound of it. I'll cooperate of course, for the benefit of my people and the company. I'll sift through Trowa's work, and you had better apologize to him."

"Does Trowa stand open for the supernatural? Do you know why he could've been possessed?"

"What I'm going to tell you, is very personal," Quatre said, "and when I notice you slip up about this in his presence, you'd wish there was a demon world to escape to, do you understand?" When the other two nodded, he continued: "Before Trowa came into my service, he was an orphan who didn't even have a name. He felt extremely alone and abandoned, and it goes to show how strong he is for making a life for himself. He worked himself up to get out of the slums he grew up in, and he worked hard to get where he is now. I can only think of that boss leeching off of his feelings of loneliness from his past, to get an opportunity to attach itself to his soul."

"My thoughts exactly," Duo said. "Not that I knew this about Trowa of course, but sadness and loneliness are the first things dark entities prey upon."

"But it happened so long ago," Heero said. Duo shook his head.

"It doesn't matter when it happened, yesterday or twenty years ago. A hardship in your life, a moment of grief, sadness, a traumatic event… A parasite will use it against you, and in your weakest moment, it strikes."

Heero went silent. He thought about the lonely days just after the death of his adoptive father, leaving him in a cold, dilapidated apartment with no food in the fridge. How he had to work his way through countless dead-end jobs to pay for his tuition, studying and working until deep in the night. He worked so hard that he didn't have the time to feel lonely - but it was there, along with the resentment towards his real father for abandoning him, not knowing who his mother was and why she had given him up - more than enough negativity for a boss to parasite on. He stuck his hands in the pockets of his pants, feeling uncomfortable.

* * *

Relena was happy to see him. She was clad in an unflattering pair of sweatpants and an over-sized t-shirt that had something about strawberries and whipped cream written on it. Her hair was put up in a lazy ponytail, and next to her on the couch were a huge bowl of popcorn and a bottle of soda. Heero chuckled. She popped some popcorn in her mouth and grinned.

"Finally, no charity ball, no fundraising event, no nothing! This evening is totally for myself, and I can do whatever I want."

"Is that really you, Relena? Or is it your twin?"

"Humor me all you want," she said, "but I'm glad I'm not wearing any Versace tonight. How's everything going? You're not really hunting for new furniture."

"I know, work's been so busy, especially the Winner case."

"Zechs doesn't mind helping you out, if you need more time to get back on your feet."

Heero mumbled something inaudible. He hadn't been in his apartment since the attack. He had stopped by the building a couple of times to collect his mail, but he hadn't had the time to even open the letters from his insurance company.

"I better make a list first of everything I need," he said instead. "Everything was cut up, even my kitchen towels."

She threw a handful of popcorn at his head. "You never set one foot inside your kitchen, Heero."

"Well… I don't set a foot inside _my_ kitchen," he said. She didn't understand and looked at him quizzically.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you know…I'm dating Duo Maxwell, and he's a very good cook," he blurted out.

Relena stared at him, mouth agape for a moment before she burst out in a joyous laughter. "Heero, finally!"

"Finally what?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"Finally you got someone!" She poked him in the chest. "I've been hoping for so long that you'd meet someone who would take you away from that hard-working-lawyer-with-no-time-for-a-social-life cliché. I'm so happy for you!"

"It doesn't bother you?" Heero asked.

Relena shook her head. "Don't be ridiculous! How would you finding love bother me, be it with a man or a woman? What counts is that you're happy; that's the most important thing of all." She hugged him. "I didn't know you had such good taste. He's very good-looking."

"It was sort of spontaneous," he said.

"And still you're not blushing," she teased him. "You're talking about the love of your life, and still you don't even get the lightest hint of color on your cheeks. How do you do that? Are you sure you're human?"

"I'm a real man," Heero said, "and real men don't blush."

"Real men don't leave their spouses either," Relena said. Heero was shocked.

"Mark has…?"

"No no, that's not what I meant," she hurried to correct herself. "We're not separating, thank goodness, no. I love Mark with all my heart and soul." A wistful smile. "I wish he never decided to run for mayor, however. He has no time for me or for his social life whatsoever, and he can only talk about 'when he gets elected into office'. We had a fight last night…" she heaved a sigh, looking unhappy, "because he wants me to quit that 'silly job' of mine."

"That doesn't sound like Mark at all," Heero said.

Relena didn't hear him. "I build that office with my father from the ground up! And he calls it a 'silly job' and wants me to quit! He wants me to be at his side, as a 'perfect' wife: silent, baking cookies, and dolled up!"

Heero frowned. Mark had always expressed his admiration for his wife's independence and strength. A terrible thought struck him. Mark had also been at the party. Mark had been in Khushrenada's villa. Mark was running for mayor and was a friend of Quatre Winner. His stomach started to clench.

"Relena, have you noticed something different about Mark lately?"

A little downtrodden, Relena hid her face behind her sandy colored strands of hair, the bowl of popcorn totally forgotten. "Not really. I knew his campaign was going to take a toll on our marriage, but I didn't realize it could be so intense and overwhelming. I go to bed alone and wake up alone. I can see from the imprint on the pillow that Mark has been in bed, for a few hours or so, at least. He used to joke that if his campaign failed, we could still live off of my salary and he would flip burgers." She laughed briefly.

_It's a boss, playing parasite on Mark, _Heero thought. _His personality is changing, and he's probably the one who made that late phone call I overheard. I have to get Relena away from him. _

"I'm sure everything will work out," he said, feeling sick to his stomach about the lie. Relena looked at him, staring silently at his face as if she was expecting him to admit his lie, but then a smile softened her worried features.

"Thank you, Heero," she said and grabbed the remote control, buried under the bowl of popcorn. "There's an incredible sappy romantic flick on TV," she said. "Watch it with me?"

"I'll watch it with you." Heero settled next to her on the sofa and popped the bottle of soda.

* * *

"Crap," Duo said out loud. He put the horn back onto the cradle of the phone, adding another "Crap!"

Heero sat at the table, trying to befriend Shinigami. The dragoyle was cleaning out a pan with leftover mashed potatoes, gobbling as loud as it could. "What's the matter?"

"I can't reach Wufei."

Heero waited for Duo to elaborate. In the background, the noise of Duo's laundry machine was audible; it was currently washing a load of Heero's clothes. The small apartment had only one, cupboard-sized guestroom that currently served for stashing Heero's things. No one had spoken the official words of 'moving in together', but it was the simple truth that Heero spend most of his time at Duo's place.

Shinigami, his snout smeared with potato mash, opened one eye to look up from its scrunch fest.

"It's not like him at all," Duo complained. "He always keeps in touch."

"And how close is your contact?" Heero said. He tried to make a joke out of it, and Duo ruffled his unruly hair.

"Don't worry, we only work together, sexy lawyer mine. Wufei is in love with his katana."

"Where does he live anyway?"

"On the same compound as Master Long. It's private property, but I don't know what's going to happen to it now that Long has passed away."

"Maybe he left everything to Chang," Heero suggested. "I can take a look at the paperwork if there are any legal issues involved."

"Thank you, dear." Duo leaned into him and kissed him on the nose. "You should be at your office though, thinking of a way to properly apologize to Trowa and to come up with an excuse about how your carpet has been sliced. I'm so sorry, but we didn't have much time left. We had to work fast."

"I'll pay for the damages," Heero said. "Don't worry about it. Relena will be delighted to pick out new carpet."

"Are you still worried about the husband?"

"Very much so."

"If I can stop this all, the entity will leave the husband, Heero. Everything will be all right."

"I'm worried. This is a really dangerous job, Duo. I'm not kidding."

"I know you aren't. But it's my job, it's what I do."

"You still haven't answered my question, though."

Duo frowned. "What question might that be?"

"If you were called the Executioner or the Judge, remember? That creature called you and Chang 'Executioner and Judge', and I still don't know who's who."

Duo was silent for a moment, and tapped on Heero's nose again. "I want to go to the Long compound."

"What will it take for you to answer that question?"

"What question?"

Heero frowned again. Duo sent him a blank look. "Fine. I'll drive you there."

"What about the office?"

"I'll write all these hours on the Winner case."

"Winner isn't going to pay for every trivial thing…"

"I just need some time to come up with a good excuse for Barton, damnit."

* * *

The Long compound was outside of New Port City, and Heero found himself enjoying the ride. He was driving with Duo next to him, the radio on, playing general rock music. Duo was worried but hid it by fiddling with the radio and talking or singing along, horribly out of tune.

Duo had only been to Long's compound twice and didn't know the exact address, so they ended up lost and had to ask their way around at least four times. Finally, hours later, driving on a dusty, sandy road that seemed to lead them into the middle of nowhere, Duo suddenly yelled out: "Yes, I remember! It's got to be around here!"

"'Around here' could be anywhere, Duo," Heero answered deadpan. He checked the fuel gage, mentally patting himself on the shoulder for filling up the gas tank before they left the main road. Duo poked him in the shoulder.

"Don't mock me! Just drive! We'll see it any moment now."

After another large curve in the road, Heero had to admit that Duo was right. A majestic compound was lying in the middle of nowhere, with huge, bare land around it, like an oasis in a desert. It was built in Chinese tradition; Heero noticed the typical layout of the compound, and the walls and tiles that made it stand out. Never had he thought to see anything like this. The huge metallic dragon on the gate reminded him of the ones embroidered on Wufei's clothing.

Heero parked the car and got out, followed by Duo. "Wufei!" the American immediately hollered. "Wufei!"

Heero walked towards the gate. The heavy bars were tied together with a metal chain, looped through each other; not a very friendly welcome sign. There was no bell or an intercom system to announce a visitor. Through the bars, Heero could see the gardens, the main building and the two smaller buildings flanking it. The red roof tiles caught the sunlight; it looked slightly neglected but not dilapidated. If Wufei was the only one around here, he would have more than his hands full with maintenance.

"Wufei!" Duo's voice was brimming with agitation and annoyance. Heero stepped away from the gate and eyed the walls. He was thinking on how he could climb over them, when Duo returned.

"Nothing to see," he said. "Can you give me a boost?"

"All right." Heero leaned against the wall and cupped his hands for Duo to step onto. As soon as Duo was on top of the wall, he reached for Heero. After some pulling and grunting, they slid down on the other side of the wall, right into the garden, overgrown with weeds.

"This is worrisome," Duo said. "The last time I was here, the garden was beautiful. Now the fountain isn't even working. It's not like Wufei to neglect these kinds of things."

"Do you think something has happened to him?" Heero might not be too fond of Wufei, but that didn't mean he wished him harm. Not much harm, that was.

"I do, yes," Duo said, voice low and jaw tight. "And if someone has hurt him, there's going to be hell to pay."

The door to the main building was open. The look on Duo's face turned grim, and Heero noticed how his own muscles tensed. He was bracing himself for a fight, and this time he was going to fight back. No one was going to punch him in the face ever again.

The wooden door didn't show any damage. Duo stepped over the tall threshold and his footsteps echoed hollow in the long, tiled hallway. Dust was gathering in the corners. The dark red walls with golden dragons and characters loomed eerily in the silence. Low, dark wooden side tables carried tall vases; perhaps Ming, perhaps from another antique dynasty.

Nothing seemed out of place. Nothing was damaged. Heero and Duo opened a number of doors: bedrooms, a closet, a bathroom, a kitchen. Not a single dirty dish in the sink, and no electric appliances: no fridge, no radio, no microwave.

"I don't think anyone's around here." Duo looked sad. He was genuinely worried for his friend. Finally, they walked to the back of the house, only to meet a few distraught chickens. Duo put food into the feeding bins and tapped fresh water from the pump. Heero looked around.

"It doesn't feel right," he said.

"I don't sense anything out of order here," Duo said. "It's perfect. Compared with other buildings I've seen, this is a sanctuary…" He stopped mid-sentence.

"What?" Heero didn't follow him.

"Khushrenada," Duo said. "His villa. Wufei must've gone there to check on the rift! The idiot! He was tired, and he hadn't eaten! We have to get to Khushrenada's villa!"

Duo had barely finished his sentence before he started running. Heero had to break out in full pursuit just to keep up with him. They helped each other over the wall again, and Duo almost stumbled twice in his haste to get back to Heero's car.

"I should've known," he said over and over again as Heero drove back to the city. "He's such a stubborn asshole! He was so tired, and I should've made him spend the night in the guest room, so I could keep an eye on him."

"You're not responsible for Chang's lack of better judgment," Heero said.

"I am," Duo snapped. "I owe a lot to Wufei, and we're both unique in our kind of work. We need each other to be able to do this. Without him, I couldn't have done this at all!"

"I know," Heero answered, even though he didn't know.

"Please drive faster, Heero."

His foot pushed the gas pedal deeper. Now wasn't the time to discuss this. He was having a bad feeling about this as well.


	8. Chapter 8

Treize Khushrenada's villa was located in a chic suburb, where the upper class lived in fancy houses, ranking into the millions, about the half of them build by Winner Enterprises. It was getting late in the evening when Heero finally halted in front of the huge gate, decorated with the man's monogram. According to the tabloids, the playboy actor was still at his exclusive spa, battling his fatigue.

"We get into major trouble if we trespass on his property," Heero said. "My reputation will be ruined, and my degree will be stripped if I get caught breaking and entering."

"I'm not asking that of you," Duo said. "You've done more than enough. This isn't your battle. The otherworld isn't your place. I have to fight it alone."

"For fuck's sake, no," Heero immediately retorted. "I love you, Duo Maxwell. Are you now asking me to step back and watch while you plunge yourself head first into danger?"

"Pretty much yes, yeah," Duo said.

"Don't be stupid." This time, he was angry. "I know your work isn't exactly my world, but you can't keep me out of it all the time, Duo. I love you. I care for you. Are you not hearing anything I say?"

"I hear you loud and clear," Duo said, "and I love you and care for you too, Heero. More than my own life. That's why I want you to stay out of business you don't really understand, you don't truly understand. No, Heero, listen to me. The otherworld is dangerous for an unknowing, untrained and inexperienced person like you. I can't even teach you the basic protection, it would take too long. I'm sorry, but that's just the way it is. The otherworld is nothing like the real world. I can't protect the both of us in there, Heero. I'm sorry."

"I want to know about the otherworld, and I want to learn how to protect myself," Heero said. "You're not going in there alone."

"Wufei is in there. If he went through the rift, for whatever reason, I'll find him. I'll always find him, Heero. It's okay."

"No, it's not, goddamnit!"

Duo took a step forward and cupped Heero's head with his hands. "I love you," he said, staring Heero straight in the eyes. "I love you so much, my shining knight, my noble savior. But this… you can't help me with this. You're a lawyer and a disbeliever, Heero. The otherworld would kill you, and I would never forgive myself for bringing you into danger. If you want to help me, go home and get Shinigami. Bring him to me. I could really use his help."

"You can use his help but not mine," Heero pouted like a small child. Duo pursed his lips and kissed Heero on the tip of his nose.

"One day you will know everything about the otherworld. That day is not today."

"Fine, I'll go get that creature for you," Heero said grumpily. He didn't know whether to scream or to cry out in frustration. "I'll bring him back here."

Duo nodded and didn't leave Heero's gaze until he got into the car, and sped off.

* * *

It took him ages to get to Duo's apartment and catching the dragoyle; one look at the oversized cat carrier and the creature flew up in high circles, scraping the ceiling, hissing and puffing smoke in Heero's direction. When Heero spoke Duo's name and the word 'danger', it calmed down considerably and waggled into the cage on its own. By then, a lot of time had been wasted, the minutes having ticked away mercilessly.

Heero ran back to his car and drove fast enough for any cop to start salivating at the speed tickets he could slap on him, and he was back at the Khushrenada estate in no time - with no Duo in sight.

"Duo, you asshole!" Heero slammed his hands on the steering wheel. Duo had asked to retrieve Shinigami, but he had never said he would wait for him. Heero wanted to take out his anger on the snorting creature in the carrier, but Shinigami responded to his anger by banging against the door of the carrier.

"Shut up!" Heero yelled at him as he turned off the engine. He had to take a precious minute to calm down. Duo had found a way into the villa, and he obviously hadn't entered through the electronic gate. Heero got out of his car, took the carrier, and went to take a look for himself. If Duo had gotten in, he could get in.

It was so obvious that it was laughable. Millions of dollars were spend on the finest electronics and surveillance cams, but next to the Khushrenada villa was a large oak tree with branches stretching out into every direction. Heero could almost see Duo climbing the tree and jumping over the fence, and he couldn't help but to shake his head.

With the carrier, he worked himself up the tree. Heero was tempted to open the carrier and leave Shinigami out, so that the bulky object wasn't hindering him to climb the tree, but he had made a promise to Duo, and he wasn't going to turn back on it.

Heero climbed up higher, much higher than he expected, and he had to think twice where he was going to jump. The branches had brought him up high, but there wasn't an easy path down. He threw the carrier first, carefully aiming for the bushes to catch its fall.

Ignoring Shinigami's snorts and howls, Heero jumped right after it, also landing into the bushes, and rolled as soon as he hit them, keeping his body as relaxed as possible. He didn't care about the slashes and cuts from the shrubs and rolled away as far as he could, taking a small minute to recover. He got back on his feet and grabbed the carrier; Shinigami's red eyes were narrowed in anger, and it all but snarled when it caught a look at Heero's face.

"Sorry," Heero muttered and hurried to the villa. It wasn't hard to notice the open window next to the front door; someone had cut out the glass pane to create an entrance. He didn't hesitate and climbed through the opening. He knew where Duo had to be: the pantry, next to the freezer unit where the rift had been… or still was, if demons could move freely between the otherworld and the real world.

Heero broke out in a jog, swinging the carrier with him, evoking more grunts and protests from Shinigami. He kept ignoring the creature as he was too hurried to get to the pantry and too worried about Duo's fate. But it wasn't Duo who he saw next to the freezer unit.

"Chang!" He gasped.

Chang Wufei was lying on the floor, his hands next to his body as if he had toppled over without trying to catch his fall, and his beloved katana was a few inches to his right side. What the hell happened?

Heero took a step forward. The electricity was off. Another step forward, as he tried to take a peek at the rift. As soon as he turned a little, Shinigami went berserk. Heero put the carrier on the floor, unable to hold onto it. The creature gnawed on the bars of the carrier, growling and hissing.

The shiver going down Heero's spine had nothing to do with Shinigami's reaction or the low temperature in the pantry. The rift… It was almost like he could _feel _the darkness seeping through it. Was that what had gotten to Wufei? He didn't know what to do.

Shinigami was fighting so hard to get out that the carrier toppled over a few times. It was a shock to realize that the dragoyle wasn't stressed by the carrier but because he could feel Duo might be in danger. Hadn't Duo told him that Shinigami could find him anywhere? Hurriedly, Heero opened the carrier and Shinigami rolled out, flapping its wings and diving nose-first towards the rift. Without thinking, Heero grabbed one of Shinigami's stumpy legs. The dragoyle screeched, but by then it was too late.

* * *

If Heero had thought that the punch to his face had been painful, it was nothing compared to what he was going through right now. It felt like a bus was riding over him, backing up and riding over him again. Thousands of fists pummeling him, bashing his head and punching his stomach; and on top of that, millions of pins and needles attacking him mercilessly and he was cold, so cold, that all his bones seemed to crack and splinter.

He wanted to scream, but no sound left his throat, as if he didn't have a throat anymore. He was torn apart, destroyed, deconstructed, and slowly put together again, with every single fragment hurting like it had been tortured for ages. Heero only cried out when he came into contact with something massive - he fell facedown onto solid ground. The first thing that struck him, was warmth - delightful, delicious warmth. He reveled in it for a moment, the relaxing, comfortable warmth seeping into his sore muscles and painful body.

Groaning, Heero tried to get up. Everything hurt, and his limbs weighed a ton. Looking for support, he noticed something next to him: a solid column of a strange material, some kind of scaly stone, and Heero gratefully used it to get himself up. Leaning against the column, his mind worked at a hundred miles a minute to get a hold of the current situation.

Where was he? Where was Shinigami? How was he supposed to find Duo?

Heero lost himself completely in his thoughts, until he heard a familiar snort, a loud, thundering snort, and he looked up… and immediately staggered away, tripping and falling on his butt. Next to him wasn't a solid column, but Shinigami towering over him, his hind legs _huge, _his body as massive as a dinosaur, and his wings were spread, the leathery tissue spanning at least six to seven meters. In the otherworld, Shinigami looked much more like a dragon than the gargoyle in the real world. His stump snout was now a slim, tight-jawed mouth, filled with impressive sharp teeth. His purplish skin color was reflected and intensified by the reddish hue of this world, making him look majestic. The dragon turned his head towards Heero, almost amused. Heero swallowed.

"Shinigami?"

The dragon let out a burst of flames as an answer. Heero hardly had the time to process what was standing right in front of him. This was really the same creature he had been dragging around in a cat carrier, a few moments before?

It wasn't the only strange thing about this world, though. The ashen taste in his mouth made him feel sick, and an invisible weight was straining on his body. Whatever this weight was, it made movement very difficult, and as he got up again, Heero had no choice but to lean on Shinigami for support.

Propped against the dragon's massive leg, Heero tried to keep his breathing under control, taking a look at his surroundings. So this was the otherworld. Strange, his imagination had led him to believe it would be filled with demons, dark entities, and creatures weirder and more outrageous than Shinigami, but instead, there was nothing to see. No screaming of tortured souls, no ghosts hovering around him, no entities showing itself…. just a vast, wide plane, without any natural phenomena like mountains, rivers or vegetation.

"I'm thinking of hell," he murmured. Duo had told him that the otherworld was the place where souls were waiting to cross, to go over to their respective destination: Nirvana, Valhalla, hell… It was hard to think in a lucid manner, even his thoughts weighed heavy on his body, mind and soul.

Heero forced himself into rational thinking. He was here with Shinigami, and he had to find Duo and Wufei. Duo first, he knew what to do. If he found Duo, he'd find Wufei.

As if he had read Heero's mind, Shinigami flared his wings and went a little lower with his knees. It took Heero a precious minute to understand that the dragon wanted him to climb on his back.

Baffled, Heero used the strong, stony scales of Shinigami's skin to climb on his back and found a suitable place to sit: in the crook of Shinigami's neck, between the shoulder blades. He sat down, not comfortably, but securely enough to not fall off. Shinigami didn't wait for him to settle, moved its wings and took off. Heero thanked whatever deities he could think of that he wasn't afraid of heights.

The wind blasted through his unruly hair, the air terribly cold, and he shivered. Heero made himself as small as possible, hiding between the large scales, avoiding the chilly wind. The sky was dark with strokes of purple and red, just like Shinigami.

During their flight, every now and then something flew next to them, entities of darkness and anger, trying to touch them. They bounced off of Shinigami's sturdy body, and Heero heard them screech and scream, before dissolving into the air again.

He wiped away the sweat off his brow. How could anyone deal with this world and still be joyous and generous like Duo?

"Find him, please find him," Heero kept muttering as in a mantra. Suddenly, Shinigami went down, almost kissing the ground, and Heero's stomach shot up into his throat. The dragon stretched its mighty legs and caught himself, stomping on the ground as it ground to a halt. Not a hint of dust was visible.

Shinigami threw its head back and let out a massive roar. Heero all but slid from his spot and landed for the second time on his ass, grunting loudly as he hit the ground. A shadow fell over him, and he assumed it was Shinigami's - until he could see the difference in size and shape. With his heart fluttering in hope, Heero looked up.

Duo was barely recognizable in all black. He was clad in a jacket that reached to his knees, embroidered with the familiar golden lion crest, closed in front with polished, brass buttons. It looked like some kind of armor, sporting silver-colored shoulder pads adorned with sharp, pointed triangles. A silver chain went from shoulder to shoulder with an old-fashioned pocket watch attached to it. Duo's boots were heavy, and the toes weren't adorned with silver strips but strengthened with metal. His chestnut braid hung still, weighed down by a black scarf woven into it, and the grim expression on his face was so unlike Duo that Heero had to look twice to make sure it was really him. He was standing in front of Shinigami; the dragon had found him, true to his word.

"I told you to stay away." Duo didn't sound angry, more like he was chiding a disobedient child. "I told you that the otherworld isn't meant for you, Heero. You're disrupting the balance here."

"I love you too," Heero said dryly as he got up for the third time. There was no need to dust off his clothes, nonetheless he tugged at his shirt to make sure everything was still in place. It's a good thing your pet can find you anywhere."

Duo nodded and put his hand on Shinigami's nose, in a tender, affectionate movement. The dragon's nostril was as large as his hand. "Here he is Shinigami, God of Death," Duo said. "He accompanies those who have to cross over to the final side, those who have murdered and slaughtered in their mortal lives and yet fight their death with tooth and nail. And well… you can guess now what they call me here."

Heero looked at Duo's hand, holding a scythe. The double-bladed weapon with a curve in the upper silver blade was unlike anything he'd ever seen.

"You're the Executioner," Heero said, breathlessly.

"That I am."

"What… What is this world?"

"It's not your world, Heero, and you've made things indefinitely difficult for me." Duo reached for Heero and pulled him closer for a quick kiss. "You haven't eaten enough, and you're not fit at the moment. That was Wufei's mistake too, remember?"

"You've found him?"

"Not yet. But I saw his body in the real world, and I knew what he had done." He abruptly changed the subject. "How are you feeling? Nauseated? Headache?"

"Like the weight of the world is on my shoulders," Heero admitted.

"I thought so. You need protection, and I can't give it to you. I'm glad you brought Shini, but you should've let him go and stay behind in the real world."

"I saw Chang lying there, unconscious, and I didn't know what was happening to you."

"I'm a big boy," Duo winked at him, "and this world is mine, Heero. I appreciate your concern, but it wasn't necessary."

"I'm sure you can use some help." Heero pointed at a puddle of black goop at Duo's boots. Duo shrugged.

"You can't kill soul reapers, Heero. Only I can. Remember what I am in this world." He leaned on the scythe, the black staff carved with silver linings, the two blades so large that the lower one reached the ground at this angle. The upper blade was strangely curved in the middle, and the metal of the blade caught a rare flicker of light, the red hue making it look like it was covered in blood. Heero shivered.

"There has to be something I can do," he said.

"Yes, you can leave this world," Duo repeated. "Shini can take you back…" but the dragon interrupted him, bellowing out a huge breath of fire, and Duo smiled wistfully. "Apparently, he wants you to stay here."

"_Shinigami_ wants me to stay here?" Heero was surprised.

"All right." Duo was quick to adapt. "You're here, and apparently there's nothing we can change about that. Well, we have to work with the things we're given… We'd better start looking for Wufei, and find the master boss behind all of this."

"Master boss," Heero repeated, dull.

"Master boss." Duo tilted his scythe a little. "Did you really think there was only one boss, like the one who attached itself to Trowa? There are so many around here, I don't even bother to count them. As long as people can be corrupted, as long as souls can be stolen, there will be evil, big, bad bosses creating chaos and disorder. We have to go now."

As if it had been waiting for a signal, Shinigami moved its wings and went to the sky again, its roar rumbling as it climbed higher.

"Where's he going?"

"He'll be around."

"Maybe you can tell me his story now that we're here?"

Duo laughed briefly. "Sure. I found Shinigami on one of my visits here, just a baby… or a puppy or whatever I should call him. He was tangling with a dark entity and not strong enough yet to fend it off. So I rescued him, and in gratitude, or perhaps some kind of loyalty, he stuck to my side. I don't know how he ended up here in the first place as he's not a spiritual being, and I don't know what his breed is. The otherworld is so different, so strange from what humans know or think they know. He was in need, alone, and he didn't present a threat to me."

"You just took him home?"

"Yes. When I left the otherworld after rescuing him, he came along. I had no idea he was able to manifest himself into the real world, but apparently he travels through any kind of world effortlessly. I took him to Master Long, but even the old man didn't have any documentation on his kind."

Heero had seen the library when they had visited the Long compound, and he whistled. It was hard to imagine that no record of something like Shinigami existed.

"He can find you anywhere," Heero said. "How is that possible?"

"Jealous?" Duo pursed his lips.

"Don't be silly. I'm a grown man, not a kid."

"Aww. You're awfully cute when you try to hide your jealousy."

"I'm not jealous!" Heero protested and Duo laughed out loud. He didn't answer the question though, and Heero decided not to press matters. It was hard enough to keep his thoughts organized; there was still that invisible force, that weight pulling him down. He wanted to fall on his knees and lie down and never to get up again. Even the hard, solid ground looked like a comfortable bed to him right now.

How could Duo walk so upright, with such a firm pace, and how did he know where they were going? This world had no roads, no signs, no directions. The familiar shadow of Shinigami, hovering above them in the sky, was oddly comfortable. This world was draining, Heero could feel it. It leeched off of his life energy, exhausting him, nauseating him.

Heero ignored the physical signs as well as he could and focused instead on matching Duo's pace.

The spirit hunter pointed at the sky, which had dissolved into a lighter, violet color, almost the same color of his eyes. Heero could see the soft, white spots he was pointing at.

"Those are neutral souls," Duo explained. "The majority of mortal people who have led their lives and died from natural causes, they often find the way themselves."

"The way to what?" Heero asked.

"The afterlife," Duo said. "Don't forget, Heero; _this_ isn't the afterlife. The otherworld is a station in-between, a gateway for souls to find their destiny. Every soul has to travel through here. It's more a transit station."

"Great. Even after you're dead, you have to wait in line."

Duo had to chuckle, but he quickly turned serious again. "It's to make certain that souls don't end up where they don't belong," he said. "It's like a sifting system, and yes, you have to wait in line - but I doubt you'd notice."

"And those who don't get sorted, or sifted, or whatever you want to call it, they become bad, like your soul stealers?"

"Soul reapers. They might. Souls may be corrupted here, but the souls of evil people - murderers, criminals, violent people - can bring corruption into the otherworld. It's something that can't be controlled, and it's very complicated. There will always be evil, in whatever world you are."

"True. How do we find Wufei in all of this?"

"Shinigami can find him. He's not as loyal to Wufei as to me, so it'll take some time to…" Duo was promptly interrupted by the dragon, a huge burst of flames tearing through the sky. Immediately, Duo grabbed Heero at the shoulder and forced him to the ground. "Get down! Get down!"

Heero made himself as flat as possible, pressing himself to the ground. His ears were attacked by loud, horrible shrieking, abruptly silenced when Duo's scythe cut a black swirl in half, slicing as if through paper. A part of the black… swirl fell close to Heero's hand.

"Don't touch it!" Duo kicked it away from him. "We can't have anything attach to you here, Heero. If it returns with you into the real world..."

"I rather return in one piece, yes," Heero said and got up again, a little grumbling.

"That's not all," Duo interrupted him. He pointed to the west. "Do you see that? Those bright columns of light?"

"Yes? What's wrong with them?" The light emitted cozy, gentle warmth.

"It's a summoning," Duo said. "I can't see what's being summoned, but judging from the light someone is trying to communicate with a recently deceased person. If someone was trying to contact a dark entity, the light wouldn't have been so bright."

"Why are people summoning…" Heero's voice died away. Treize Khushrenada had dabbled in the supernatural, and had seen nothing wrong with it. Playing an Ouija board just for fun, practicing a little witchcraft, what harm could there be? "Your work is far more dangerous than I ever imagined."

Duo tilted his head and lowered his scythe. Instead of fatigued, he looked defeated… Heero could smack himself mentally. Duo was expecting the 'this is more than I can take and I'm going to leave you now' speech.

He took a step closer to Duo, grabbing his upper right arm.

"I'm not going to leave you, never!" he said brusquely. Duo looked up at him. He was about to say something, but Heero didn't allow him to speak. "I'm not going to take this away from you, Duo," he said, "and don't you dare assuming that I would ever leave you!"

"What do you mean?" His usual warm eyes were cold. "This isn't easy, Heero. You've seen it for yourself. Very few people can deal with this. I've heard it all before, and I understand. I've been tossed aside for less."

"So that's it? You think I'm going to dump you when we get back to the real world?"

"You've seen what it's like here, Heero," Duo shot back. "There are demons and evil creatures out here, and it's taking its toll on you every second you keep standing here! The darkness is getting to you, and I can't protect you! We have to find Wufei and get out here, before a demon decides to attach itself to you."

"Do you really think that could happen?" Heero said tersely. "You really don't think much of me, do you?"

"Heero, listen to yourself." Duo shifted the scythe, and the dark shadows on his face sharpened his features. "The anger and negativity is already getting to you. You have to get out of here. I'm serious."

"Fine. Let's find Chang, for crying out loud!"

"Shinigami is having trouble locating him," Duo answered, voice oddly strained. "I'm afraid something has happened to him, something worse than I could ever have foreseen. I think a boss is holding him hostage or that he has fallen prey to an extremely strong entity."

"Fine. Let's just go, damnit." Heero started to walk and he stuffed his hands into his pockets angrily. He wanted to kick at something, but there was nothing in sight. The warm ground was devoid of any rock or pebble, and grumpily he kept walking - even though he didn't know in which direction. He was jealous, he was being devoured by a jealous animosity that Duo had such an understanding of this world, and he didn't. He didn't like not knowing.

A surge of anger washed over him: anger directed at his biological father who had abandoned him, anger at his adoptive father who died so unexpectedly, leaving him with worries.

_Odin Lowe couldn't foresee he'd die at a relatively young age. He couldn't foresee that car coming from that direction._

Not even his mother had bothered to keep him. _Maybe she thought he was a really ugly baby._

Nobody bothered to look at him, nobody cared for him. Duo was lying to his face that he loved him, all he wanted was a fuck and nothing more. _Duo made you food, Duo shared his body with you. _

His whole life was empty and lonely, and Relena… Hah, Relena had married that wimp Wilkinson, just to get away from him. Sure, she had made sure that he got a job with her office, but since when did he need her fucking sympathy? What was that bitch thinking?

_Relena is your friend. She genuinely loves her husband and she loves you as a friend._

He was only good enough to deal with the cases she didn't want to. He only got the crumbs, and everyone was laughing behind his back.

_You are the youngest person ever to make partner at Darlian, Peacecraft, Merquise & Yuy.._

Pity, they all took pity on him! He didn't need their fucking pity!

Images rapidly went through his mind: his adoptive father, proudly presenting him with his first suit so he could apply at law school; Relena, secretly leaving a bag of groceries in his kitchen because she knew he hardly had any money; Duo, naked and beautiful, telling him "I love you", over and over again.

It started to dawn on him. The darkness, the negativity… It weighed him down, pulling him into a dark abyss. It preyed on his soul, whispering in his ear with a voice that he just had to let it all go, to leave it be, to give into the darkness; breathe, escape life and be done with it. Heero shook his head.

"No," he said, then louder: "No!" He turned around, only to see Duo with his scythe, his lips slightly pursed. He was careful, and he searched Heero…for what?

"How did you like your first boss?" Duo said and threw him a watery smile. "It was trying to attach itself to you. It was a very weak boss but a boss nonetheless. Don't worry. I got him." Duo lifted up his scythe and Heero saw something on the tip of the second blade; if he didn't know any better, it looked like a dirty shirt hanging out to dry. A shirt that had been completely ripped to shreds.

"I was attacked by a boss?"

"A stupid one. He thought that your defenses were low - which they are, but still too strong for him. Did you hear whispers in your ear? Did he promise you everything if you'd just 'let it go'?"

Heero swallowed and nodded.

"I thought so." Duo swung the scythe to his right, discarding the remnants of the spectral life force that had tried to parasite on Heero. "We have to hurry," was all he said.

A thundering roar alerted them of Shinigami's arrival, and the dragon set itself on the ground, snorting large clouds of smoke.

"Did you find Wufei?" Duo asked. A puff of smoke evaporated through the dragon's nostrils. "Show us!"


	9. Chapter 9

Shinigami crossed the skies with Heero and Duo on its back. Duo was sitting in front of Heero, his legs crossed. To him, riding the dragon's back was fairly normal, but Heero clung to him, as it was impossible for him to find a good sitting position between the hard scales. The large scythe lied in-between them. Heero ignored the blades as much as possible. The only thing that mattered right now was the one-on-one contact with Duo.

He held his arms wrapped around his waist, avoiding putting his head against his shoulder, due to the sharp, pointed triangles on the shoulder pads. It was impossible to feel Duo's body heat. His armor-like clothes were cool to the touch, and his braid hung lifelessly on his back. Shinigami's speed and the wind made it impossible to keep up a conversation, yet Heero gave it a try. He tapped Duo on the shoulder. As soon as the other turned his head, he hollered at him: "How far?"

"I don't know!" Duo yelled back.

Just as he said it, Shinigami took another sharp nosedive and they had to hold on for dear life. If it weren't for the noisy wind, Heero would swear that he could hear Duo laughing. Shinigami landed and folded its wings, allowing its riders to slide to the ground.

"So, what's going on?" Heero asked.

"Wufei is being trapped by a _hyn-davilyn_," Duo answered. "This could be a lot tougher than I thought."

"What do you mean? What kind of entity is that?"

"It's a manipulative creature with shape-shifting capabilities," Duo said. "It's highly intelligent. Wufei would never have fallen for its lies and manipulation if he hadn't been so extremely tired. That's why I always tell you to keep your energy levels up and eat plenty. Human life and soul energy is a banquet to the dark entities." He heaved a sigh. "The _dav_ took advantage of Wufei not being fully prepared. It caught him off-guard and sprung a trap on him… I'll chew Wufei out later, but first I want him safe."

"All right, but how?"

"We have to be careful. _Hyn-davilyns _are always surrounded by… Well, you could call them groupies. Fanboys. Weak demons and very minor hell spawn, who are attracted by the power the _davs _radiate. They flock together... like this."

Heero's heart sank to his shoes when he saw what Duo was looking at. In front of them was a huge, darkened field of demons and entities, pressed together, crawling on top of each other, like a continuous, nauseating sea of waves. The negativity that radiated off of the field was massive; petrified, Heero wanted to search out Duo's hand.

However, Duo took a step forward, right into the field, and the entities moved aside, like a splitting ocean. An almost reverend crowd, and as he followed Duo, Heero could hear "Executioner" here and there. Did these entities even have conscience and awareness enough to realize what Duo was?

Behind him, close on his heels, the entities closed the gap behind him, tumbling and crawling all over each other again. Whatever respect they were paying to Duo, it was barely enough to include him. Heero could feel them scraping his shoes and back, sometimes even nudging his shoulders, and it made his skin crawl.

"Where's Wufei?" Duo asked a sinister looking creature. It folded its wings right in front of it, hiding its face, not answering. Duo's eyes were as dark as his jacket. The scythe didn't catch any glimpse of light in this area; the weapon loomed just as evil and eerie as the black entities around them. Duo asked other creatures, but none of the entities dared to look at his face, and moved to step aside, creating a path. Heero couldn't see where they were going, and followed Duo. The spirit hunter turned around, his eyes determined and focused.

"Careful now," Duo said, "let me do the talking, Heero. If the _dav_ asks you something, you can answer, but keep it short."

"He can actually ask me something?"

"I told you, it's highly intelligent and very manipulative," Duo said. "Here we are. Pay attention, and be careful."

"All right." Heero blinked a few times. The otherworld was strange, and on top of it, it was screwing with his eyesight. Out of nowhere, a building rose up in front of them, a majestic castle without walls or borders. The laws of physics didn't seem to work here either; the huge door that was as tall as a skyscraper blocked their way, despite the castle being totally open, the furniture and rooms visible. The door was fitted with golden lining and symbols and sported a golden bell. Duo shrugged.

"We have a vain one - or so it seems," he said and moved his hand to pull the chain. The door slid open after the first ring. The weaker demons hadn't followed them; they were alone in a large hallway, lit by golden chandeliers, hanging in mid-air without any obvious support. A velvet red carpet stretched out in front of them; without another word, they started walking.

"How long..?" Heero whispered after he saw what had to be the millionth chandelier. Duo didn't bother to answer.

Another door was blocking their way, but Duo didn't ring the golden bell attached to it. Instead, he grabbed his scythe and swung it towards the door, slicing it in half. The two door panels fell inwards with a loud thud. Duo stepped calmly through the door, straight to a small, elevated platform in the middle of the huge room.

Next to the platform was Chang Wufei in a silver birdcage, sitting in a lotus position, strict and serene, and he didn't seem to notice see anyone or anything around him. He didn't react to Duo or Heero entering the room. Heero wanted to call out to him, but he remembered that Duo had told him to only answer to questions.

His eyes caught the sight of a throne on the platform, a preposterous piece of furniture with gold and silver panels on it, hideously carved with grotesque sceneries of people being tortured and adorned with huge and massive gemstones.

"I see you're admiring my throne." The _hyn-davilyn_ spoke with a voice that could be a male as well as a female. It sat draped all over the throne, a humanoid creature with anthracite skin, in which the obscene throne mirrored itself. It even had a face, which could be described as ethereally handsome.

It was rather fascinating, that it could speak even though it had no visible mouth to speak through. The facial features were moving, but it had no lips, no teeth… but the creature had eyes, charcoal eyes, completely focused on its visitors.

"Who do you bring before me, Executioner?" It laughed, a joyous, contagious sound - Duo didn't laugh. "An exchange for your beloved Judge? I see you have brought a strong one along with you. A very strong one. This one will do."

"Shut up, _dav_." Duo's voice was cold, so cold. "I'm not here to exchange anything. I'm here to take back what's rightfully mine."

The _hyn-davilyn_ hissed. "So _try_ to take back what's yours, Executioner."

With a swing of his scythe, Duo cut through the silver and gold throne, and the _dav _jumped away elegantly, sliding through the air like the wind and materializing close to the birdcage, folding its arms. "A strong one. He'll be much more amusing than the Judge. What's your name?"

"My name is Heero Yuy," Heero answered, taking great pride that his voice didn't waver at all. He wasn't even flinching. The creature looked at him with more than admiration, with fascination.

"You instructed him well. I didn't expect anything less from you, Executioner." The _hyn-davilyn_ was completely at ease. He didn't seem to care much for his precious throne, reduced to rubble. "Tell me, Heero Yuy, what made you come here? Were you following the Executioner? Or is there something else that brought you down here?"

Heero was about to answer, but Duo stopped him, putting a hand on his chest.

"Don't try to trick him, _dav. _You ask too many questions. You're allowed to ask only one question every turn. Don't tell me I have to explain you how it works."

"Very well. Choose the question you would like to answer, Heero Yuy. As long as I'm only allowed to hear one answer, you're allowed to stay here and live."

"I came here to rescue a friend." Heero looked at Wufei, but he was pretty sure that even calling him a friend wouldn't change anything. Not a single hint of recognition came from his cage.

"Humans." The _hyn-davilyn_ was indeed amused. "So predictable and weak."

"You have your precious answer." Duo moved the scythe again. "Release the Judge. You're bringing this world out of balance. I'll find the one who's pulling the strings here."

It crossed Heero's mind that Duo had formed his sentences with care, carefully to avoid asking any question himself. It had something to do with the unwritten rules of this world, and Heero made a mental note to ask about it later. Every creature had its own approach, he guessed. He was glad that Duo was dealing with it. He wouldn't like to find out what happened if he had unknowingly answered more of the entity's questions.

"Do you really think there's someone pulling the strings?" As quick as he was amused, the _hyn-davilyn_ was quick to anger. "I took that fool by myself! He was as audacious as to barge into my home and demanding to release the souls I've been gathering! He was Judging my collection of soul reapers and condemning me to not use them anymore! He was so open to suggestion, the fool!"

Another move with the scythe made the entity go silent. Its charcoal eyes were paying more attention to the scythe than to Duo or Heero.

"The Judge," Duo said. "You will release him - _right now_ - or you'll be banished to Nothing."

If it was possible, the creature would have been licking its lips. "I can't give you to him, Executioner. Not without an exchange." The scythe swung closer to it, and the _hyn-davilyn _danced out of its way, with the same elegance, now laughing, if only a little nervous. "Even you have to obey the rules. Even you don't rule supreme here, Executioner. You can banish me, but you'll still know nothing. An exchange, if you please."

"An arrangement," Duo said.

"What kind of arrangement?"

"You'll give me the Judge, and I'll leave."

The _hyn-davilyn_ laughed again. "And what's in it for me?"

"Like I said, I'll leave. Don't make me repeat myself ever again, _dav._"

"As you wish," the entity folded its arms again and made a gesture with its hand. The birdcage fell apart; the silver bars rolled over the floor. "Take him. But Executioner…"

"If you dare to threaten me, the agreement is off. Nothing is _nothing _compared to where I'll banish you to then," Duo growled. The _hyn-davilyn_ hissed, screeching out loud, and it disappeared all of the sudden. Duo raced towards Wufei, followed by Heero.

"What was that all about?" he asked.

"Just a fart in his direction," Duo answered. "There's nothing compared to Nothing, but fortunately for us, he didn't know that. Wufei! Wufei!"

"He's barely breathing!" Heero checked for a pulse. Duo shook his head.

"It's some kind of meditation technique, but I didn't know he was capable of it in the otherworld," he said. "He can bring himself into a state of suspended animation. We have to make sure to bring him back slowly and carefully; otherwise we'll tear his soul apart."

"How do we leave here?"

"Shinigami will bring us back to the rift," Duo said as he lifted up Wufei. "He'll be waiting for us outside. Let's go, Heero."

Heero took Wufei from Duo and left it to his lover to create a path through the amassed crowd of weak demons and minor hell-spawn, aware of those green, red, and charcoal black eyes looking at the both of them. The hissing, snarling and grunting sounds had added to his nausea; he'd wanted to get out of here, _fast. _

Now that the _hyn-davilyn_ had left, the castle dissolved, disappearing with a gust of the bone-chilling wind, as if it had never been there. Shinigami, not hundred meters away from them, had breathed a little fire of joy when it saw Wufei. It was the longest, hardest hundred meters in Heero's life.

The dragon brought them back to the rift and when they crossed over to the real world, Heero felt the same cold and pain as when he had entered the otherworld. Somehow it was easier to bear the second time around, perhaps because of Duo's presence, but it wasn't something enjoyable. Combined with his fatigue, Heero panted roughly when he stepped back into the pantry of Khushrenada's villa.

Duo ordered him to lie Wufei down. Before Heero could comment that there were two Wufeis on the floor, Duo had started to perform a ritual. Wufei's soul reunited with his body in a painful procedure, twitching and arching just like Trowa Barton had done when the boss had been removed from his soul. Wufei screamed, flailing his arms and kicking his legs, until he collapsed. While Heero was staring aghast at Wufei's body, Duo scurried around to find a table cloth. He wrapped it around Wufei in an attempt to get his body temperature up.

"What did you do?" Heero asked. He saw the fatigue on Duo's face; performing the ritual had taken a lot of his energy.

"I'd love to educate you on the fine arts of binding souls and how to return them to their body, but I'm beat," Duo said. "Besides, we're trespassing. We better get going."

Not even Shinigami made a fuss about its mode of transportation; the dragoyle waggled into the cat carrier itself and rolled up into a ball, huffing just a little bit of smoke. Duo took his backpack and the carrier while Heero carried Wufei, who was as silent as a corpse.

* * *

It was heaven to lie on a comfortable bed. Duo's bedroom housed the large bed, a nightstand, a cupboard, and a myriad of cushions, pillows, rugs, and afghans in the most colorful patterns possible, strewn all over the bed and the floor.

Despite the warmth in the room, Heero could still feel the cold of the otherworld. It didn't help that Duo wasn't next to him; he was in the kitchen to make all the food necessary for their recovery. How he still had the energy to stir into pots and pans was a mystery to Heero. He wanted to curl up and stay in bed for the rest of his life.

A few minutes later, Heero pushed at the covers and swung his legs out of the bed. He couldn't leave all the work to Duo, and besides, he didn't like being weak. He put on a bathrobe and tied the belt in front of him before leaving the bedroom.

Tiptoeing through the small hallway, he passed the guestroom. He didn't need to take a look to know who was in there; he had put Chang Wufei to bed himself, with a little help of Duo.

He went into the kitchen, amused to see Duo dressed in an oversized shirt - one of _his _shirts - and a pair of sweat pants. He was adding another helping of scrambled eggs on a large plate, next to a huge stack of pancakes, sandwiches, and a bowl of soup.

Heero slipped his arms around Duo's waist, the spirit hunter leaning against him, his head against his shoulder. A tired smile showed on his face, but his eyes vibrated energetically.

"Cooking up a storm again, hm?" he said.

"Yes, we really need to replenish our energy," Duo said, as he was sprinkling the scrambled eggs with salt and pepper.

"I know." Heero held Duo close, almost hampering his movements. "It was quite scary, back there."

Duo tilted his head and pursed his lips for a kiss despite the awkward angle, but as soon as their lips touched, they both heaved a sigh.

"Don't ever follow me that recklessly again, Heero. I mean it." Duo's gaze was stern. "You could've gotten yourself into trouble that I couldn't have gotten you out of. You saw how difficult it was to save Wufei, and he's a full-trained spirit hunter. He's going to get an earful as soon as he wakes up."

"Is he hurt?"

"Nah, only his pride. When I'm done cooking, I'll perform a cleansing ritual on him to make sure there's no residue left. He was open to an attack, and the _dav _immediately preyed upon it."

"Why did Chang rush in anyway? He knows better."

"We'll ask him." Duo pointed at the pan. "Let me finish the hash browns and then we'll wake him up."

Heero waited for Duo to finish and followed him to the guestroom. He was curious to what kind of ritual Duo was going to perform. Wufei was still in bed, tucked in, lying motionless, his chest barely heaving. Duo gently pulled back the covers to reveal Wufei's trim body, clad in a warm pair of track pants and a long-sleeved shirt.

Moving his hands, Duo made sure not to touch Wufei, but he shifted his hands meticulously as he spoke words in a language Heero didn't recognize. There was nothing to see, actually, just Duo moving his hands, from Wufei's head to his toes.

Finally, Duo heaved a sigh and dropped his arms next to his sides. "It's time to wake up, Wufei."

Almost immediately, Wufei's eyes went open, blinking a few times. "Maxwell," he said with a raspy voice. "Did you… Did you manage to close the rift?"

"At least there's nothing wrong with his memory," Duo said and chuckled. "Let's eat, and then we'll talk."

Heero expected Wufei to protest, but the spirit hunter obediently climbed out of bed. He wavered a little when he stood straight up, and Duo reached for him to help him gain his balance. Wufei shook his head, not accepting any help. Heero figured that it went against his honor to show any kind of weakness, but as Duo didn't comment, he did neither.

Together, they went back to the living room. The table was quickly set, and Duo brought in the dishes. Shinigami was under the table as usual, munching on some meat; the noises it made were oddly comforting to Heero. The dragoyle had saved his life; without the creature, Heero had never been able to find Duo.

Bowl after bowl was emptied, the pots and pans turned upside down to get the last bit of food out. They ate in comfortable silence, only exchanging small talk like "Pass me the salt" or "Can I get some more pancakes?"

After finishing the meal, Heero brought the dirty dishes to the kitchen while Duo made some tea. He returned to the living room with a huge pot of tea, mugs, and a large box with assorted cookies, shortbread, and muffins.

Wufei had changed seats, staring in front of himself with an afghan wrapped around his body. He accepted the tea with a mumbled "thank you" and continued staring into nothing. Duo joined Heero on the couch, curling up against him with his own blend of coffee.

"It's my fault." Wufei broke the silence. "I wasn't fully prepared, and I was low on energy."

"What made you decide to go back to the Khushrenada villa?" Duo asked.

"I checked Master Long's library," Wufei explained, sipping the hot tea. "I found information on Ky-loon-aung, the boss who played parasite on Barton. Something bothered me about him, and I worried that he was just one of many, like a piece of chess, put on a giant board: a board of strategically placed humans to parasite on. I wanted to find out who was behind it all. I recklessly entered the rift and stumbled upon the _hyn-davilyn_ who told me that he knew where to find others like Ky-loon-aung. I agreed, even though I should've known better. I know not to trust a spirit or demon in the otherworld, still I just… fell for it. As soon as I took a few steps, he caught me in the silver cage. You were on time to save me, Maxwell, Yuy."

"You're clearly not recovered yet," Duo said. "You can stay here and rest up."

"I'd love to," Wufei said dryly, "but we have a rift on our hands. We can rest as soon as we got it fixed."

"I don't want a repeat of what has happened," Duo said brusquely. "You're going to stay here and rest up while I think of a plan to get this all sorted out, all right?"

"For now." Wufei pulled the afghan closer around him. His body temperature still wasn't at its regular level, a side effect of his suspended animation. Duo picked up the teapot, noticing that it was empty. He left for the kitchen, and Wufei didn't waste a moment to inquire Heero. "How did you manage to end up in the otherworld?"

"I hitched a ride," Heero said and looked at Shinigami, who was snoring on a pillow in front of an old coal heater. The dragoyle huffed tiny clouds of smoke every time it exhaled. Wufei actually smirked.

"Shinigami is a strange, yet wonderful creature," he said. "I keep combing Master Long's library to find information on him. I'd love to know his origins. But not even Maxwell does. He's a veritable mystery."

"Why do the demons call you Judge and him Executioner?"

"You saw Deathscythe," Wufei said.

"I saw his scythe, yes."

"It's called Deathscythe. It's a holy weapon, just like my Nataku." Heero nodded. He'd been in close contact with Wufei's katana before. "These weapons have been blessed to fight the dark demons of any otherworld. Nataku was passed down in my family; previous generations Chang have guarded and protected this world from any malevolent entity. It's our duty, our calling. Not many people can wield similar weapons. We have been assigned the role of Judge, to pass judgment on souls that need to move on or not. Deathscythe is given to the strongest of us all, the one who decides everything. The one who doesn't pass judgment, but the one who executes. A fearful position, a dreadful position."

Heero looked over his shoulder. In the kitchen, Duo still busied himself with the tea and fresh cookies. He lowered his voice. "But how did he get the weapon?"

"Maxwell's story is his own to tell," Wufei said sternly. He hesitated, shifting around uncomfortably. He also looked in the direction of the kitchen, and lowered his voice to a bare whisper. "I can only tell you this: Deathscythe is only given to those who have died themselves."

"What!" Heero yelled so loud that he startled Shinigami, the creature flying up from its position under the table and flapping around wildly.

Wufei looked like he was already regretting his words, and the next second, a loud ringing noise broke the silence: Heero's smart phone. Shocked, it took him some time to locate it.

When he looked at the display, Heero noticed he had at least 70 missed calls. Quickly, he answered. "Yuy here."

"Mister Yuy, finally!" It wasn't like Harriet to totally panic. "Where have you been? We couldn't reach you! Mrs. Peacecraft needs you, right now!"

Heero brought up his arm to look at his watch. It stood still, so he looked at Duo's wind-up wall clock. Baffled, he realized that he had been away from the office for at least two whole days.


	10. Chapter 10

Leaving Duo and Wufei to recover from their endeavors in the otherworld, Heero took his car and drove through New Port City to get to the Peacecraft Manor as fast as possible. A million questions were racing through his mind. What did Wufei's words about Deathscythe mean exactly? How could his short trip to the otherworld equal two days in the real world? Why was Harriet panicked? What had happened to Relena?

"Yuy here! Open the goddamn gate!" he barked at the intercom. It was uncharacteristic of him to use coarse language, but his nerves were frazzled. Somehow, he was afraid of what he was going to see or hear at the Manor. His latest encounters with demons and dark entities really didn't help matters. Heero hurried through the large hallway, straight to Relena's study, and he didn't even bother to knock the door.

"Relena," he immediately said when he saw her. She stood up from her desk, quickly closed the distance between them, and flung herself into his arms, crying. Heero stroked her hair and back; soft, soothing motions, allowing her all the time in the world to cry on his shoulder, letting it all out.

"Tell me what happened," he said when her sobs seemed to dissipate.

"It's Mark." Relena took out a handkerchief to press against her swollen eyes. She didn't ask where Heero had been.

"What happened?"

"I told you he was acting strange," Relena said, her voice thick. "And now he has disappeared!"

"What? Disappeared?"

She nodded. "He vanished into thin air. He didn't show up at a fundraiser meeting, so they called me to ask what was keeping him. I didn't know anything either. I thought he went straight to the meeting. Pargan took the Bentley to drive him." Heero knew the personal chauffeur who had been in Relena's service his entire life. "It's awful, so awful! They killed him!"

"Someone killed Mark?"

"No, Pargan!" She burst out in tears again, the pain obvious on her face. "When the car was found, Mark was gone, and Pagan was still behind the wheel, and he was… Oh God, I had to identify him, Heero! I had to look at… God, all that blood! I… I…!"

She was unable to say more, and Heero guided her over to the sitting area of her study and gently sat her down. He took a seat next to her, keeping his arm around her in a comforting manner. So much grief, and he hadn't even been around to help her.

"I'm so sorry," Heero said. "The poor man."

Relena pressed the handkerchief against her eyes, frantically wiping at the tears. "I've known him since I was a toddler," she said. "He didn't deserve this. I've told him to enjoy his retirement, and he said 'No, Miss Relena, it's going to take a whole lot for this old man to abandon his post'. God!"

"And Mark?"

"He's just… gone. There's no trace of him, nothing at all. The police brought a whole pack of those sniffing dogs, but there was nothing to sniff!"

Relena straightened herself, forcing the flow of tears to stop. She looked tired and stressed, her face pale with sunken, hollow cheekbones, her usually neatly styled hair in a frizz and uncombed, her eyes all puffy and red. Heero felt guilty. He hadn't realized that his trip to and the recovery from the otherworld had taken him so long, and all this time Relena had been worried sick, confused, her husband was missing…

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there," he said. Relena tried to smile but faltered hopelessly.

"It's not your fault. You had other business to take care of, and I… Well, I take pride in being an independent woman," she said, "but apparently I'm not even strong enough to keep my emotions in check."

"Relena, please…" He put a hand on her shoulder. "You're the strongest woman I know. Who told me that it was all right to cry, to show vulnerability, when I was at my lowest?"

"You lost your father, Heero," Relena said. "Your last living relative. That's something else than…"

"No, it's not. Pargan was family to you, and your husband…Mark…he's your family too. I'll help you, Relena."

"How?" She looked up at him quizzically. "You're a lawyer, Heero, not a private detective…"

"I have my connections," Heero said. He cupped her face. "Trust me, Relena. Mark will be back. Let me take care of it."

* * *

Harriet greeted him with relief at the office. "Have you called Mrs. Peacecraft?"

"Yes I did, and I already visited her." Heero didn't go into details; telling his secretary about Relena's predicament was too personal.

"I'm so glad you're back, Mr. Yuy. There's so much work to do, and not every judge has a lot of patience."

"I know," Heero reassured her. "I take it you've put a long to-do list on my desk?"

"Very long," she said, looking at him over the rim of her glasses. "_Very _long, Mr. Yuy."

Heero closed the door of his office behind him and was overwhelmed at the sight of the huge stacks of paperwork on his desk, covered with bright, colorful sticky notes. He would need at least two assistants to get through all of this and call every one of his clients back.

A funny image of Duo and Wufei helping him out went through his mind, and he all but snickered. If only! It was much safer work than dwelling around in a demon world… but he already knew that Duo was never going to give up his work. Someone had to protect the world from dark entities, guide lost souls, and execute those who were a danger… _and those who were dead… _

He was dialing Duo's number and stared at his laptop screen. His e-mail program booted up and showed dozens and dozens of unread messages. This time Heero groaned out loud, just as Duo picked up the phone.

"I love it when you greet me like that," Duo immediately quipped, "but I have a guest. I can't engage into lovely phone sex with you, Heero. It'll have to wait."

"It's a good thing I don't have you on speaker phone," he grunted in response. "I have some bad news, Duo."

"What is it?"

Heero told him briefly about Mark's disappearance. He told Duo all the details he knew so far, which wasn't much - Pargan's death, the car…. he waited for Duo to process the information.

"Where's the car now?" He asked at last. "Shini can smell a dark entity a mile away. If I can get him close to the car..."

"My thoughts exactly," Heero answered. He took a deep breath. "I don't want to leave Relena alone right now. Why don't you come over to the Peacecraft Mansion?"

"I know what she means to you," Duo said warmly, no jealousy or aggravation in his voice. "Wufei can look after my apartment. He's ready to strangle me anyway, so it's a good idea for me to be out of the house tonight."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries - as well as intimate pleasantries that made Heero want to pull Duo through the phone and act upon them right now - he called Relena to ask if there was any news. Unfortunately, there wasn't any, but he learned the name of the police officer in charge of the investigation: Septem.

He had the most horrible, grating voice Heero had ever heard; it was hard to keep up the conversation with him. The search for Mark Wilkinson was ongoing, and Septem wasn't easily swayed to give out more information. At this moment, a special team was searching the canals close to the location where the car was found.

As there was nothing else he could do about Mark at the moment, Heero worked his way through the first stack of paperwork on his desk, without taking a break. He called his clients, read through new reports, talked to his fellow lawyers, and felt drained at the end of the afternoon. Zechs had an impressive caseload of his own, he couldn't help Heero out the entire time. With a pounding headache, he drove back to the Peacecraft Mansion.

* * *

Relena didn't mind at all that Heero had invited Duo over without asking her permission first. She welcomed Duo as an old friend and enjoyed both men's company as she didn't want to be alone. Dinner was nice and entertaining; true to his reputation, Duo emptied his plate twice and was served a huge bowl of ice cream for dessert. Indulging in the treat, he started up a conversation with Relena about the best flavors, while Heero was wondering where Shinigami was. Duo had arrived empty-handed at the mansion, smiling as usual, without the dragoyle in sight. Relena wasn't aware of the full nature of Duo's work and the topics at dinner avoided any and every mention of the supernatural. She knew he was involved in the Winner case, but as far as she was concerned, Heero had invited his boyfriend over for company and who was she to refuse? Inevitably, the conversation came to Mark. Relena's joy died down immediately, and she heaved a depressed sigh.

"I wish I had more information to share," she said. "Detective Septem suggested that I should go through Mark's office and papers and see if I could find anything that could be used to blackmail my husband. Septem himself is busy interrogating and investigating Mark's co-workers, his assistant, and his personal staff. No ransom demands have been made… I don't know what's going on. I have no clue whatsoever."

Duo sympathized. "I'm so sorry to hear all about this, Relena. Forgive me for asking… but did you notice any strange behavior in Mark lately?"

"Yes, he became more distant and irritated. I told Heero about it, and I chalked it up to the stress of the campaign. He was so busy, and everybody wanted something of him… and I wasn't all that happy about him running for mayor in the first place, so I thought we hit a rough patch in our marriage." Her voice hitched a little, but she kept herself calm and composed. "I figured it was best to let him be, to offer support where I could, and just let it all ride out. After the campaign was over, I thought we'd have more clarity about the situation, and we could work on it from there…" It wasn't easy for her to admit marital difficulties, and she lowered her head a little, as if she could hide behind her long, blonde hair.

"I don't know what to do," she said after a moment of silence. "I don't know what to do! He just couldn't have disappeared from the car, he just couldn't have vanished into thin air… and yet he did! He's gone!"

One of the servants brought tea and coffee with chocolate bonbons, but Relena didn't care for the sweets. Instead, she rubbed her temples.

"Such a headache," she mumbled. Duo cast a quick look at Heero and mouthed something to him that he didn't understand. When Relena wasn't looking, Duo put his hands to his cheek as if he was sleeping. Heero got the message.

"Relena, why don't you get some rest?" he offered. "You're safe now; we're here."

"Thank you, Heero, Duo," she said, smiling with relief. "I'm sorry I'm not much of a host tonight. I can't think straight, this headache…" She looked annoyed with herself for complaining. "I haven't been at the office either." Guilt struck her face. A lot of the urgent phone calls on Heero's desk this afternoon had pertained to her cases. He made a dismissive gesture with his hand.

"It's okay," he said. "Don't worry about that. You've got a lot on your plate, Relena, and you need to take care of yourself. It'll be all right."

Thanking them once again, Relena left the living room, a worried servant girl rushing to her and asking if she wanted a nice, hot bubble bath, ideal for relieving headaches. Duo was on his fifth bonbon already, and casually put his feet up on the sturdy wooden coffee table as he reclined into the sofa.

"Where's the car?" he asked promptly.

Heero shook his head. "Impounded. We can't get anywhere near to it. Septem seems to think that investigating the disappearance of Mark Wilkinson is going to be the case that makes his career."

"Or breaks it. This stinks of dark entities and you know it, Heero. I brought Shini with me, but I couldn't bring him into the house, of course."

"Where is he?"

"Flapping outside somewhere," Duo said, swallowing the rest of his bonbon. "I told him to hide in a tree. Too bad about the car; if there was any dark residue on it, he would've sniffed it out."

"I think I've got something better," Heero said. "Go get him, and I'll show you where he's got to sniff."

"I love it when you're so commanding," Duo said before pecking him on the cheek. "I'll obey, my lord, master and ruler."

* * *

Duo returned with Shinigami perched on his right shoulder within a few minutes. The staff in the mansion was easily avoided; Duo made sure nobody caught a sight of the creature on his shoulder.

"Okay, what did you have in mind?" he asked curiously.

"Remember when my apartment was ransacked and I got floored?" Heero touched his face subconscioudly. The bruises had healed up nicely, only a slight yellow discoloring remained that would disappear in time. "Relena invited me to stay here, in a guest room at the end of the west wing. One night, I got woken up by strange noises, and when I checked it out, I could hear someone talking. I'm not sure if it was Mark, but in the light of his sudden disappearance… The next morning, when I opened the door to the room, no one had been there... at least it looked like no one had been there for a long time."

"All right, let's check it out." Duo winked at Heero. "It could've been an entity, or Mark has been dabbling with powers that backfired on him. Anyway, if something's there, we'll find it."

Heero went ahead, knowing his way around in the large mansion. The guest room was just as ordinary as the last time Heero had seen it. The bed was neatly made and there was no dust.

"Get to work, you," Duo teased Shinigami by tapping it on the nose. The creature yawned and showed off much sharper teeth than Heero could remember. Duo wandered around the room, examining the furniture. He opened the empty cupboard and ran his hand over the wooden panels; Heero assumed he was looking for rifts. For once, Shinigami wasn't flying around, but waggling around like an overstuffed duck. He went into the adjacent bathroom.

"How's Chang doing?" Heero asked.

"A lot better, but he's not the same yet. He's eating and resting, resting and eating… His body and pride still need some time to recover."

"Pride and honor does mean a lot to him."

"Yes, they do. Wufei feels like he has failed, as he knows better than to trust a demon. Being trapped by the _hyn-davilyn_ made him feel incredibly vulnerable. It's not good. Especially when dealing with demons, you have to feel confident and strong. Every little weakness is immediately exploited and abused by dark entities."

"There was something else that Chang said," Heero hesitated. "About the weapon you wield, and how it belongs to someone…"

A large croak from the bathroom ended his sentence. Duo immediately went to see Shinigami, followed by Heero; they found the dragoyle on the marble sink, pointing with its stump snout to the rim, like a cat waiting to jump on its prey.

"What is it?" Heero asked.

"He found something," Duo said. "I think I know how Mark disappeared."

"How… What…?" Heero looked at the dark fissure, hidden behind the sink.

"Another rift," Duo said, and he sounded annoyed. "One at Khushrenada's villa, one here at the Peacecraft Manor. They are perfect mirrors to each other. This is bad."

"I don't think that Mark was into anything supernatural," Heero said. "Do you think a boss has started to parasite on him?"

"It could be. I'd have to see him to know." Duo heaved a sigh. "But actually, I hope and pray it's a boss. It's so much worse when people go along with dark demons on their own volition."

"Is there any free will left to speak of?"

"Not when a parasite has attached itself to them. But when they choose willingly and consciously to serve a dark demon… then there's nothing I can do. I can't bring a corrupted person back into the real world, Heero."

"Mark isn't like that," Heero said firmly. Summoning ghosts was for eccentric people like Treize Khushrenada, not down to earth, happily married men like Mark Wilkinson. At least, he hoped so. "What do we need to do to get him back?"

"You're not coming with me, Heero. The otherworld isn't your world, remember?"

"I don't want to hear it. Do you really think I'll let you face such danger all by yourself?"

"That danger is my job! I don't _need_ someone to watch my back!"

"I know what it's like there," Heero shot back. "I went in there to save you, _remember_?"

"I didn't need to be saved; Wufei did! You endangered everything by showing up unprotected and unprepared. You could've died if you weren't so strong. Remember the boss' attack?"

"I know, and I remember, yes," Heero said. Recalling those nasty, dark thoughts the boss had whispered to him occasionally returned in his nightmares. "But it's too dangerous."

He took a step back from the look on Duo's face. He thought the otherworld was dangerous, but it was nothing compared to the deathly, demonically glare on Duo's face.

"Don't give me this shit," he growled. "You're not the first one wanting to protect me, Heero. I appreciate your concern, I really do, and I love you for every inch - but I'm familiar with this work. It's my choice to do this. You have your own life. Your office, your cases, your Harriet. That's your world, and I wouldn't dream of coming in-between."

"There's a huge difference between sitting at a desk or in a courtroom and fighting with dark entities and demons, Duo," Heero pointed out dryly.

"The fact is, you simply can't come with me," Duo said. "Your inner strength is good enough to withstand weaker bosses, but compared to what else there's on the loose…I'd have to protect you all the time, and when I'm in the otherworld, I can't!"

"Then teach me how to boost my natural protection," Heero said. "Teach me how to work on my defenses!" A thought occurred to him. "Why are you always talking just about me when it comes to protection? Don't _you_ need any protection?"

"That's not the point, Heero." Duo frowned. "It's about that I don't need _your_ protection in the otherworld. I know how to do my job. Are you going to coddle me all the time?"

"You have to understand that it's pretty scary that your boyfriend is tangling with demons and dark entities," Heero said.

"Don't give me that 'I wish you had a normal 9 to 5 job' shit," Duo lashed out. "If you want to try that bullshit on me, just go! Leave!"

"Don't be ridiculous! I love you!"

"Then love me enough to let me be who I am!"

"You're an Executioner!" Heero lashed out, just as violent as Duo. He grabbed him at his wrist, his excessive physical strength forcing Duo to stand still. "Chang said something about your weapon. Deathscythe. Why you're able to wield it."

Duo tried to break himself free, his eyes glaring daggers at Heero. "Wufei doesn't know what he's talking about. He was tired and drained."

"I think he wanted to tell me something about you, subconsciously or not. Something that went further than you 'just being' a spirit hunter. The only reason why you can wield Deathscythe, Duo. Tell me. I want to hear it from you."

Duo pulled back his wrist and rubbed his skin. "I have more important matters on my hands." His voice was lower and chillier than ever, no warmth to it at all. Heero didn't like it.

He mercilessly squashed his own feelings of guilt about it. He wanted to know. He was a lawyer; it was his duty to discover the truth, even if it was from the man he loved. No, especially if it was from the man he loved. He didn't want to keep secrets, not from Duo, and he didn't want Duo to hold anything back from him.

"I need special equipment to get this fixed," Duo murmured, as if he had forgotten all about their fight. "And prepare myself."

"Duo."

"What?"

"When you get back, I want to know."

"You want to know what?"

"What makes you Deathscythe's wielder. Why they call you the Executioner."

The look on Duo's face was heart wrenching. "Don't force me, Heero. Or else I'll walk out and you'll never see me again. I'll help your friend because this is important, but never, ever force me to tell you something I don't want to tell you about, be it now or later."

"I don't want any secrets between us," Heero said. Duo turned around.

"There are still things I don't know about you," he said.

"What do you want to know?" Heero immediately asked.

"It doesn't work that way." Duo shook his head. "I'm going to need some supplies. I'll be back in a jiffy."

As Duo left, Heero heaved a sigh. He stared at himself in the mirror above the sink.

"Great going, Yuy," he said to himself. Shinigami snorted at him. "Yeah, I know." He had the weird urge to pet the creature, but he refrained from doing so. Shinigami tilted its head and just waggled up and down along the rim of the sink.

Heero heaved another sigh. He was going to lose the love of his life… but why did Duo have to be what he was? Why couldn't he have been a gardener, an architect, or a nurse? Or better yet, a fellow lawyer so they could have long, boring conversations about certain paragraphs in obscure laws? Anything was better than to hunt ghosts and demons… and be so damned stubborn about it.

Heero realized he didn't have any choice. If he wanted to be with Duo, and he really wanted him to be a part of his life, then he had to respect his choice and his line of work. Shinigami snorted again, as if reading Heero's mind and agreeing. Heero flicked its nose.

"It should be easier," he said. "Your master should've been a sculptor, or a call center employee, or something like that."

"But you couldn't say no to this sexy spirit hunter, could you?" Duo swung into the small bath room, carrying his black backpack. Heero wasn't startled; he was used to Duo's silent walk.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"For what?"

"For what I said. That I wanted to force you. But Duo, I…"

"You started out well, don't ruin it now." Duo gave Heero a smile. "I promise you we'll talk, Heero. I can't promise you when. I won't deny that it's difficult, and I would love it if things were easier - but they aren't. We have something special together and if it's up to me, we'll stay together for a very long time to come, at least if you want to."

"I really want to," Heero said.

"Then let me do my job," Duo answered and pulled out candles from the backpack. Heero recognized them; they were the same as he had used during the séance with Trowa. Duo put them on the ground in a half-circle and he lit them. A mystic scent wafted in the small room. Duo continued to unpack his bag and pulled out a jar with green pods, similar to peas. He frowned at the jar.

"I really need Wufei's help to seal the rift. It'll have to wait; I'm going to retrieve Mark first."

"Why don't you call Chang to get him to help you?"

"His energy levels still aren't up to par," Duo said. "It's a small rift, not as intense as at Khushrenada's villa. I can…"

He stopped talking at the exact same moment as Shinigami let out a high-pitched, shrill shriek. Duo's eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he collapsed into a heap on the ground. "Duo!" Heero screamed.

He was too late catching him, and the jar with the green pods dropped to the floor, the glass shattering. Heero ran through the glass and slid on his knees on the floor, grabbing Duo at the shoulders, cradling him close. Duo's blank look terrified him. "Duo! Duo!"

Shinigami flapped its wings and hissed and grunted, hot smoke washing over Heero's body.

"Duo!" He shook at him, but to no avail. Desperately, Heero searched out Shinigami, wishing that the creature could talk. The dragoyle looked stressed, upset, and kept flapping with its wings. He wasn't of any help; Heero didn't know how to interpret his movements. There was only one person who could help him: Chang Wufei.


End file.
